It all led to you
by Riddledcloud
Summary: Sequel to "It all leads to you". Yes I know it's not a big difference. This is the a continuation of the same story. I separated them because part one was extremely canon and Part two won't be. Currently follows a lot of characters, but the frequency of character story lines will be cut down further along. Rated m for language and Sexual content. #yaoi #lemon #love #alltheshipsever
1. Chapter 1

_Author notes: Hello all!_

 _Just a few notes I wanted to make. First, this is a sequel. Second, this is not nearly as canon as part one. Third, there might be some things that are kind of canonney but mostly it is not canon. Fourth, I understand this probably should be in the crossover section, but part one wasn't so I don't want to put this one there either._

 _This is completely post war, with a flashback or two of during the war. This is going to be much more romance than the first so there will be smut. There is also harsh language._

 _Small Recap:_

 _Avery is a witch from another world that landed in the ninja world after someone killed her entire family. She has a faded triquetra mark on her right hand and a witches knot tattoo on her collarbone. She has long dark blue hair and violet eyes and is the same age as Temari. She lives in the leaf village and is very good friends with Naruto and was on Team Kakashi with Sakura, Naruto and Sai. I don't even totally know what to put here. The first part had a couple of pairing hints at it like kakaxtenz and shikaxoc but shikaxoc took a turn when Temari and Avery had an argument about him._

 _If you guys have questions feel free to leave them in comments or message me, I'll answer them. There are a lot of spoilers in part one so some people might have skipped to part two._

 _Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you guys think!_

 _Also, I will be uploading every Wednesday._

 _Enjoy!_

 _Chapter Fifteen_

Avery ran through the woods in a blind panic. The reanimated shinobi were still after her teammates and she knew she needed to get to them. She couldn't afford to lose anyone, she had to save them. She rounded a corner into a grouping of trees with dozens of ninja strung up on trees or laying on the ground dead, but every single one of them was staring at her. Each shinobi's lifeless eyes were fixed on her, and when she moved, they followed.

 _You could have saved us…_

It felt like the whispered words went through her as soon as she heard them. Her blood ran cold in her veins as her pulse thumped heavily in her head. She gasped as she was suddenly surrounded by all the dead ninja in the forest. They were all muttering about how she could have saved them, or that she was weak. She shook her head as they came closer, causing her to scream when they touched her. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to orb away from where she was.

When she opened her eyes again she wasn't there anymore. The orb hadn't actually happened and she was increasingly confused about how she got there. She looked around; her head foggy with confusion as she realized this was where she had found the nearly dead Kage.

From far behind her, she heard and felt an explosion. She knew immediately, the headquarters! They were in danger and she knew she had to get to them. Avery orbed immediately and appeared inside the headquarters. Each of the shinobi that had occupied headquarters was already slain when she got in there. Each shinobi had blood pooling under each of their bodies.

 _This isn't right… They were alive!_

Suddenly, she was wrenched out of headquarters and fell onto the ground at the main battlefield. It was completely deserted, except for Shikamaru. He was standing there looking as handsome as she always knew him to be, except for the unusually cruel scowl on his face. She took a careful step toward her friend and recoiled immediately when his body let out some kind of inhuman hiss.

"You let them die," he shrieked as he attacked her. All of the blame and guilt Avery felt for not being able to save anyone at headquarters was tearing her heart in two. She didn't even try to protect herself as Shikamaru punched her and then dove at her with a kunai. She could literally feel a ripping in her chest and began to claw at her body, desperate to make it stop.

That was when she realized everything smelled far too _clean_ …

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A scream escaped her mouth as she shot upright. She was in a bed, in a hospital room, in Konoha. She blinked her eyes several times as if trying to make sure she wasn't hallucinating or imagining it. She could feel the cold sweat making her deep blue hair stick to her face and neck and quickly tried to wipe it off with her hands. She took a deep breath, trying to slow the frantic heartbeat pounding in her chest and slow her breathing to a normal pace.

"Are you actually awake this time? Or are you going to throw things at me again?"

Avery jumped what felt like a mile out of her skin. She looked around for the source of the voice that had startled her, only to see she had a roommate. Kakashi was occupying the other bed in her extremely clean and far too quiet hospital room. He was lying back in an extremely relaxed position with a small orange book in front of his face. Both of his eyes were uncovered, but his usual mask was in its normal place over his mouth and nose. She noticed his eyes matched now, two balls of dark grey amusement staring at her.

 _That's right, he lost his Sharingan._

She opened her mouth and tried to speak, but she found her mouth and throat were so dry that she just managed a mangled whisper. She smacked her lips a little like she tasted something foul and tried to decide if she was stable enough to go find something to drink.

"There's water on the nightstand," Kakashi said in a bored tone.

Avery turned too quickly and her head spun. When she regained balance, she realized he was right. She picked up the large class full of water and downed the entire thing.

"Kakashi," she said louder this time. Her voice still cracked but she ignored it. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm recovering, duh," he said like she was being ridiculous. "You must actually be awake this time if you're talking."

Avery nodded slowly and rubbed her eyes. She was so stiff it almost hurt to do anything. "How long have I been out?"

"You've been here a week."

"A WEEK?" she shrieked and immediately regretted it as it reverberated in her skull.

"Geez, loud for a girl that just woke up," Kakashi complained halfheartedly.

"I've really been out for a week?"

"Well, you've woken several times, but not actually been present," Kakashi said his tone and expression suddenly becoming very serious. "The first time, you woke and wandered down the hall and collapsed in the middle of the hallway. That was about five days ago. The second, you woke complaining incoherently. No one could really figure out what was wrong and then you just fell back asleep. That was about two days ago. Then really early this morning, you woke and began throwing anything you could get your hands on at me before coming over and crawling into my bed. That was strange."

Avery rolled her eyes a little and tried to recall any of those things happening. Nope, couldn't remember any of it. She shook her head and scooted back so she could sit up against her pillows and tucked her knees to her chest.

"Am I okay? I don't feel injured."

"You aren't injured. Just energy exhausted," he replied as his eyes found his place on the page. "That is also why I am here, but I am probably going to be released today or tomorrow. Or at least I hope so."

"I can't imagine you're a very good patient," she teased.

Kakashi snorted; normally he was a very good patient, aside from the complaining about wanting to get the hell out of there. This time around though, he had snuck down to Tenzou's room as often as he could. Not that Tenzou had even known he was there, not in his condition. When Kakashi looked back up at Avery she had laid her head on her knees and closed her eyes. He wondered if she was asleep again, until he realized she was singing to herself. She had been having those nightmares all week long. He wanted to ask, but he didn't know how she would respond.

"Have I woken up screaming each time?" she asked finally. He had seemed so undisturbed by it that she wondered how long she had been having nightmares.

"No, the last time there was no screaming. The first two you were though," he said softly. "Nightmares are common after war."

She nodded, a shiver running through her body. She was freezing. She gathered up her covers and brought them up tighter around her. She had to be careful of the IV she had in her right hand, but she was glad to see that was the only thing she was connected to.

"Here," Kakashi said as he climbed carefully out of his bed and brought her one of the extra blankets they had left in the room for them.

"Thanks," she said as he tucked it in around her. He sat down on the end of her bed and brought his legs up to sit facing her with his legs crossed.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm okay. How is everyone else? Is anyone else here?"

"Well, let's see. Naruto is totally fine, he wasn't even forced to be here. He got a few examinations and they deemed him fine to go home. Sakura was ordered to take a few days off of hospital duty to regenerate the chakra she lost. Neji was forced to stay here a night or two after almost dying, but they deemed him fine due to the healing he had received, aka, you."

He stopped and thought a bit, probably trying to figure out who else to mention. There had been a lot of people she wouldn't necessarily know that had been or were still at the hospital. When he decided he had touched on all the easy people to mention, he moved on.

"Gai is still in pretty critical condition, but he'll live," Kakashi mentioned. "They just aren't sure he will be able to continue being a ninja at this point."

"Oh no," she said, tears stinging her eyes for Gai. She had tried so hard to heal him.

"You can't feel responsible, he's lucky to be alive," Kakashi muttered. "Opening the eighth gate, he should be dead."

"I tried so hard to heal him," Avery muttered.

"You and Naruto are the reasons he is alive," Kakashi said. "So don't beat yourself up."

"Yeah, alright," she sighed.

"Obito is still here, recovering. He hasn't been in a good enough condition to go through a trial of any kind yet so he still hasn't been exonerated, but Sasuke has," he said watching her reactions. She didn't really look surprised about either of those two pieces of information.

"So Obito is alive," she said slowly.

"Thanks to you, yes. I've been able to talk to him a couple times, enough to know he's nervous about the trial. He's convinced he won't be pardoned," Kakashi shook his head a little. "He's recovering well; I think they are planning on doing it within the next few days."

"Where will he go after?"

"Well, if he isn't pardoned he'll go to jail until it's decided what will be done with him," Kakashi said rolling his eyes. "Or he will be forgiven and he will most likely come live with me. We talked about that a few nights ago after I convinced him he needed a place to stay in case he is forgiven."

She nodded a little, "and Sasuke?"

"He moved into the Uchiha memorial house that was built over where the Uchiha district was before the village was destroyed. It had been built as a monument to the Uchiha. Though, I think it was also kind of built for Sasuke."

"What, like in case he ever decided to come back?" Avery asked, resting her chin on her knees.

"Yeah," Kakashi nodded absentmindedly. The last person he needed to inform her of was Tenzou.

"Anyone else?" she asked, as if she already knew; which she did, her empathy probing Kakashi even despite her low energy levels.

He sighed and looked at her, "Yamato is here too."

"Is he okay?"

Kakashi didn't answer right away. He wasn't, not, okay _technically_ ; and, at the same time, he wasn't okay at all.

"He's… in a coma," Kakashi said finally.

The words burned his tongue like acid as he finally said them aloud for the first time. Every time he snuck out of his room and went over there to sit there and be with him, he had to make sure Obito was asleep before he could reach out to him. Obito had caught him sitting there staring at Tenzou a few times, though Kakashi couldn't find it in him to care about that. He was just praying continuously to see his Kouhai's eyes again.

"Seriously?" Avery was shocked to hear that. "Can't anyone heal him?"

Kakashi shook his head, "he has to wake up before anything will work."

Avery knew she wouldn't be any help either. She healed injuries; she couldn't fix exhaustion or things like comas. She sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "He's probably been out all week too?"

"Even longer technically; he was out when we found him."

"Found him? What do you mean _found_ him?"

"He had been captured before Naruto even left the island they were on. Kabuto had stolen him when he couldn't get his hands on Naruto in order to use him."

"Use him? How?"

"He has the first Hokage's cells in him. It's how he can use the wood style. He was experimented on as a child by Orochimaru and I think that was how the made all those White Zetsu stronger," Kakashi growled out.

He hated knowing they used him as an experimentation tool in their stupid war.

Avery could feel the fury rolling off Kakashi's body. She knew he had unexpressed feelings for Yamato, and she wished she could get him to talk about it.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

Kakashi didn't answer, he just stared toward the ground until he managed to calm down and he took a breath. "Anyway, everyone else is fine. I haven't heard about many other too serious injuries from anyone you would be familiar with. There were a couple people from other villages here to get treated by Tsunade because she's the best. I think they are actually still here."

Avery nodded, frustrated that he ignored her question, but she knew he wasn't going to answer it. She yawned; surprised she could still possibly feel so tired after sleeping for a week.

"I should probably get a nurse in here to check on you and make sure you get some nutrition in you before you pass back out," Kakashi said.

"Might be a good idea," Avery said with yet another yawn.

Kakashi stood fluidly and walked out of the room to go find someone. She was slightly jealous that he was in actual clothes and she was in a hospital gown, but she had also been out for a lot longer than he was. She was sitting there with her arms folded over her still tucked up knees when the door opened again and Naruto poked his head in.

"I just saw Kakashi Sensei, he said you were awake. How are you feeling?" he asked as he came to sit down on the end of her bed.

"Yeah," she said trying not to let her eyes close for too long. "Just surprisingly still tired."

"Well you've already slept for one week straight, how much more sleep do you need?" Naruto teased her lightly. "I'm kidding, you're recovering."

Avery rolled her eyes; she didn't get too much more of a chance to talk with Naruto before Kakashi came back with a nurse. The nurse had some broth for her to slowly sip and she did while she listened to Naruto talk about how everyone was doing. Shikamaru and Ino were taking time with their families to mourn their dads. Mostly everyone else was resting at home and helping get the village back in order for every day normal rather than war. When she finished as much broth as she could, she laid back onto her pillows and fell back asleep listening to Naruto talk about how it had been to have Sasuke back.

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Avery was woken up by sunshine on her face. Her eyes fluttered open and she was shocked to see she was lying on grass with wildflowers growing in patches around her. She slowly sat up, taking in her surroundings. She was warm and relaxed, but she didn't know how she got there. She stood up and turned slowly in a circle, looking around at the circle of trees around the little meadow.

 _Where am I?_

She looked down at herself to see she was wearing her white converse on her feet with her favorite pair of jeans and a plain dark green t-shirt. She could hear birds chirping in the trees and feel a gentle breeze kissing her skin.

"Avery."

The voice that said her name whispered over her entire body. His deep, rich, velvet voice spoke her name as soft as a lover's caress. She turned to look for the voice, but she was alone. Where was he?

"Avery."

She heard it in the trees the second time. She jogged over to the tree line and hesitated before entering the shelter the trees created. She searched around the trees, looking for the black hair and pale skin of the handsome face that matched the sexy voice.

"Avery, there you are."

She spun around and saw him, looking even sexier with the charcoal dark grey eyes rather than the Sharingan she had seen before. She felt him literally take her breath away and she felt weak at the knees.

"I've been waiting for you," he breathed as he drew her closer to him. His hand came up to graze her cheek with his fingers and she completely lost all ability to think straight. She was gasping for air and she wasn't even doing anything to lose air. She watched her handsome temptation lower his lips to her neck and her eyes closed as she moaned softly, holding onto his shoulders.

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She woke with a start in the hospital bed. She had been clutching the sheets in her hands and her skin was extremely hot. She sat up slowly and looked around the room. She was alone, no Kakashi in sight.

 _Thank god…_

She stretched her arms out to the side and then in front of her, curling her back over and stretching each vertebrae of her spine. She wanted to get up, but her hand was still attached to an IV and she didn't feel like she should be the one taking it out.

"Knock, knock," Kakashi strolled into the room with his book in front of his nose. "I'm glad to see you're awake now…" he said with a teasing tone.

"How long was I out this time?" She asked as she continued her stretches from her bed.

"Oh, about ten hours… I wasn't here for most of it, though when I came in about forty-five minutes ago I had to leave again because of the… um… well sounds you were making," Kakashi was trying to keep himself composed. He had mirth dancing in his eyes though which told Avery, based on the dream she was having, exactly what kind of sounds she might have been making.

"Oh no," she said covering her face with her hands.

"Oh yes," he said cheerfully, trying not to laugh outright. "I had to take a walk because someone was being a little loud in her apparently good dream."

"Someone kill me," Avery groaned and slipped back down under her covers.

"Oh come on it isn't that bad," Kakashi said laughing.

"Why don't you make yourself useful, you eavesdropping pervert, and go find someone that can take this damned needle out of my hand?" She growled at him.

"Now, now… no need to get so uppity," he said snapping his book shut and putting it down.

"No need to go find anyone," Sakura said as she walked into the room with a clipboard in her hand. "I was coming to check on you anyway."

"Good, cause I really want to get the fuck out of this bed," Avery said.

"Yeah I can't say I blame you," Sakura said as she came over to take her vitals. She asked Avery a few questions about how she was feeling and she determined she could take the IV out and see how she did without it. She carefully removed the needle from Avery's hand and pointed out the freshly cleaned clothes they had settled on the shelf on Avery's side of the room.

"Kakashi, you should take her to the food court so she can get something to eat," Sakura said. "Keep it light, Avery," she warned and then checked a few more things off on her clipboard before she left. "See you guys later."

Avery hopped out of bed as soon as the needle was out of her hand. She was a little dizzy and felt like she was a little weaker than normal but she pushed through it to get to her clothes. They weren't anything special, just a pair of black stretchy pants and a black tank top with the proper under garments, but she would take it.

"If you don't want to see me change I would suggest looking away or walking away," she said to Kakashi as she grabbed at the ties on her hospital gown. She was naked underneath it but she did not care.

"I'm not really bothered by it," he said as he sat down on his bed. He had his book again and was looking at it.

She just shrugged and untied the gown, letting it drop to the floor. She picked up her bra and underwear set, and it was actually hers, and slipped the panties on quickly before slipping her arms through the straps of her bra and clipping it behind her back. She threw the tank top on and then the pants, only to find they were a bit too big around the middle. They definitely weren't hers. She sighed and looked around for some way to clip them so they wouldn't fall off her ass.

"Here," Kakashi said as he came over with a long string in his hands. He had taken it out of the hospital gown and came over to help her tie it around her waist to keep the pants up. Once they had the pants secure, she reached down to roll up the bottoms before slipping her feet into her shoes.

"Okay, lead the way," she said wearily. She was already tired from just that little bit of effort, but she was also starving.

They walked slowly to the cafeteria where she got a sandwich and some chips to nibble on while she and Kakashi talked about how long they were going to be stuck in the hospital. Kakashi was being released that night, but Avery could be there a few more days.

"Sakura might take pity and let you out though, you never know," he said as he fiddled a cup of tea that had grown cold.

"Maybe… let's go back," she said with a yawn.

They stood and got halfway back before Avery stopped. Kakashi stopped about two feet ahead of her and turned to see what she was waiting for.

"Where's Yamato's room?"

Kakashi sighed a little and motioned for her to come with him. He took her down a hallway in the opposite direction of their room and around one corner before turning into a room. Avery walked inside and saw Obito sleeping peacefully in his bed on the left, and Yamato seemingly also sleeping in his bed on the right.

The biggest difference was how many monitor machines Yamato was connected to. He had a heart monitor attached to him by his index finger as well as a few wires on his chest under the hospital gown. He had an IV in his arm, and a few wires attached to his head, as well as an oxygen tube under his nose. The last monitor Avery wasn't sure what it was or even how to read it.

"What's that one?"

"Chakra monitor. It hasn't changed stats since he got here," Kakashi said barely loud enough for her to hear him.

"He's not building chakra?"

"It's one of the signs of a ninja being in a coma. You don't regenerate any chakra during a coma," Kakashi said as he took a seat next to Yamato's bed. He didn't really need anyone besides Obito knowing how much he came in here, but that didn't mean he couldn't be comfortable and close to Tenzou while he was here.

"Does Obito sleep a lot?" she asked, unable to form words over the lump in her throat over Yamato's condition.

"Well he is still actually injured, rather than just exhausted like some of us. So yeah, I guess he does kind of sleep a lot," Kakashi said absently.

"Only when people don't wake me up," Obito mumbled from his bed. He hadn't actually moved at all so Avery hadn't realized he was awake. He opened his eyes and looked at Avery, having already known Kakashi was here. "Avery, good to see you're awake."

Avery smiled at how grumpy Obito sounded, "Hope you're having a decent recovery, Obito. I am tired though so we'll just go back to our room," she said and lightly pulled on Kakashi's arm. "Sorry we woke you, Obito."

"S'fine, I'm going back to sleep," he said and was out again before they left the room.

Avery and Kakashi got back to their room and Avery collapsed onto her bed. She pulled her feet up just enough to take off her shoes, and then crawled under the covers and closed her eyes.

"Are you going to have any more fun dreams?"

"Fuck off, Hatake," she yawned.

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Avery was released from the hospital the day before Obito's trial. She collected her things from the hospital and was escorted home by Naruto. It was the first time she had actually gotten to talk to him about how he was doing since the war and it seemed like he was fine physically, but was having trouble readjusting to normal life.

"Certain things about everything that happened come back to haunt me a little at night," he admitted as they walked. He didn't really seem ashamed of it, but it did give Avery an idea.

"Why don't you stay with me for a few days? It could help us both," she suggested.

"Yeah, okay. Couldn't hurt," he said with a teasing smile.

"How's Sasuke?"

"He's alright… a little distant, but what else is new. He at least is trying more than he ever has before. He agreed to come with me and Sai to start visiting Captain Yamato when Obito is out so we won't bother him." Naruto paused a moment and sighed. He hadn't been back to see Yamato at all. "Granny Tsunade told us talking to or around someone in a coma can sometimes help them wake up. We haven't had much chance to be up there since we brought him in, but Sai and I also have been kind of avoiding it."

"Why have you been avoiding it?" Avery asked.

Naruto didn't answer right away; he seemed to be lost in thought at that moment. "I feel responsible in a way," he said finally.

"How do you figure?"

"Well, if I had been allowed to leave the stupid waterfall area while the fight was happening I probably could have stopped Kabuto from taking him," Naruto said. Avery was surprised, and a little impressed, that he didn't really sound angry. He just wished he could have helped.

"The whole point was to keep you safe, Naruto. I'm sure you understand that," Avery said calmly.

"Yeah… I just don't know what I'll do if he doesn't come out of this," Naruto said emotionally. "He has been a huge part of my growth over the last year."

Avery didn't say anything after that. They walked in comfortable silence until they got to Avery's apartment and went inside. Avery was feeling the walk by the time they got there and set her things down before she flopped onto her bed. Naruto had laughed and said he was going to get a few things from his apartment and would be back in a bit.

By the time he had come back, Avery had been totally passed out in the same position he left her in. He let himself in and as he was setting his things down, her eyes fluttered open and she stretched with a yawn.

"Did you enjoy your nap?" he teased.

"Shut up, I'm still recovering," she pouted.

"I know you are," he said and walked over toward her bed. He kicked his shoes off and then reached to take her shoes off for her before he sat down next to her on her bed.

"Do you think Obito will be pardoned?" she asked as she sat up next to him.

"I think so," he said. "He started helping us after a certain point, and was a critical part to us winning. He has been on his best behavior since, and while that's only been in the hospital it still says he's not going to fight us." Naruto shrugged, "I guess we just have to see what happens tomorrow."

"What happened at Sasuke's trial?"

"Well, a trial in this village is really just getting questioned by Ibiki, then having a meeting about the results with the Hokage and the village elders. Lady Tsunade knows how to work the elders in her favor most of the time and had decided she was going to pardon Sasuke before the meeting even started," Naruto laughed as he said the last part.

"And how has everyone been taking that?"

Naruto shrugged, "It hasn't seemed to really bother anyone much. He was a huge part of us winning the war, especially bringing the four Hokage with him," Naruto scratched his foot as he talked. "I guess everyone just kind of forgave him and moved on."

Avery could tell something was bothering him, "What's up with you?"

"Nothing," he lied.

"Naruto, you really should know by now that I can tell when you're lying," she said unimpressed.

He rolled his eyes and looked away from her, "I just… I guess I was hoping things would go back to the way they were if Sasuke ever came back. We'd be rivals and friends, teammates, and train together and whatever. But Sasuke has avoided me quite a bit."

"Didn't you say he agreed to come with you to visit Yamato?"

"Well, yeah, but that's about the extent of conversation I've had with him and it was with him and Sai," he explained. "He doesn't really talk to me one on one at all and I guess I just don't really understand it."

"He's readjusting to the village," she said. "It might take him a little while."

"That would be a great point in an argument if it wasn't for the fact that he _does_ talk to Sakura; often."

"Oh… well there's that," she said with a shrug.

"I don't get it though, he never had any interest in her before," Naruto rolled his eyes.

"Why are you jealous? You turned Sakura down remember?"

"I didn't turn her down, she wasn't being honest. And I'm not jealous. I don't even like Sakura that way anymore. I just wanted my friend back and now I feel like he's still unreachable from the same damned village."

Avery pursed her lips while she thought about what to say to him, but nothing came to mind. Instead she got up and suggested they go get some ramen for dinner. They continued talking about trivial things, like about how the village was going and how everyone else was adjusting to the village again.

"How are Neji and Tenten?" Avery asked at one point.

"Openly dating," Naruto responded, knowing where she was going with that. "They have been since we got back pretty much."

"Oh good, cause I don't have the energy to go beat sense into them," she said as she turned back to her ramen.

"Lee is happy for them, but he has been spending a lot of time with anyone else he can lately because he doesn't want to feel like a third wheel," Naruto laughed.

By the time they got back to Avery's apartment, Avery was so tired she just wanted to go to bed, so Naruto went to bed too. They both changed into comfortable clothing and each slipped under the covers on her bed. Avery sighed and snuggled up to him with a smile on her face and they fell asleep together.


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: Possible feels trip. Get your permission slip signed.

Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in this fic :D

Thank you and enjoy!

 _Chapter Sixteen_

"I'm back," Naruto announced his arrival as he walked into Avery's apartment.

"How was it today?" Avery asked from her bed. She set down the book she had been reading when he walked in. It was a book she had borrowed from Sakura to give her something to do while she was still supposed to be taking it easy.

"About the same," he said as he sat down. "Sasuke, Sai and I just sit there and talk about nothing in particular. I know Yamato doesn't actually hear us, but I wish there was at least some kind of sign that he might wake up someday."

"I know how hopeless it seems right now, but he could wake up soon," Avery said trying to be encouraging. She knew it was hard for them to see him like that.

"Something has to change; it's already been about two weeks! He has to get better in the next two," he said sighing.

"Why in the next two?"

"Tsunade said since we are a ninja village, and it's a ninja hospital, they aren't exactly able to keep patients that long," Naruto said as he looked up at her. "He has thirty days from the day he got there to either wake up and show improvement, or they have to get whoever is on his paperwork as his family to make a decision of whether to move him to a civilian hospital or to have them let him go."

Avery froze hearing that, she wasn't expecting anything like that and it sent a chill through her. "Does Kakashi know about that?"

Naruto nodded, "She told all of us together the day after we brought him in. You were passed out of course."

Avery rolled her eyes at him, "So what happens if there isn't anyone listed on his paperwork?"

Naruto shrugged, "I don't know. Sakura said Tsunade has his papers and she has instructed Sakura not to go snooping. Tsunade knows she would tell us," he shook his head. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens."

Avery sighed, "I wish I could help. Has Kakashi visited him at all?"

"Not that I know of, which surprises the shit out of me," Naruto said. He got up and walked into the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

Avery thought about that a minute; she knew Kakashi had feelings for Yamato even if he wouldn't admit it. She also knew he had at least visited him while he himself was in the hospital, but had he since he'd been out?

"Do you know how Obito's trial went? I know that was a couple days ago, but I haven't actually heard."

"He's been exonerated. He's still in the hospital until the end of this week then he is going to be staying with Kakashi-Sensei," Naruto said as he sat back down. "I'm glad. He's been out there being lead down a path of darkness for so long that it wouldn't have seemed right for him to be just left hung out to dry."

Avery watched Naruto as he spoke. He was always so compassionate, but something happened to him while he was away before the war that made him even more caring somehow. She smiled at him and reached out a hand for his. He took it with a smile, thinking about how Avery was so much like a big sister that he felt like she really could be sometimes.

"You okay with me staying over again tonight?"

"Nah, you kick me too much. Get out," she said sarcastically.

"Good, cause I am tired," and with that he took off his shirt and lay down next to where Avery was sitting. Avery just smiled and turned off the lamp next to her bed before settling down under the covers as well; hoping for a peaceful night of sleep.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Avery was walking through the hallways in the hospital, trying to find Yamato's room. She thought she remembered where it was but, she felt like every turn she made she turned down the same hallway. She was looking for the room numbers, but they had all been scratched off. She walked slower then, her heart beating hard in her chest, trying to figure out what was going on.

Suddenly, the lights flickered, and she looked back down the hallway the way she came. She felt like she was trapped in a bad horror movie and when she turned back around, all the carts and anything else that had been in the hallway was now gone. She kept walking and turned another corner to find herself face to face with Gai.

"Gai, what are you doing here?" she asked, her voice echoing off the empty walls in the hallway.

Gai didn't say anything; he just stood there staring at her. His eyes were glazed over, and didn't look like he could actually see out of them from the strange, unnatural film they had over them. He took a step toward her, reaching out with one of his hands like a zombie. She stood there watching, absolutely terrified of what she was seeing.

She turned and ran, booking it down the same hallway she had been walking down before. She turned the corner, and there were three Gais standing there in her way. They all started walking toward her like the other one and she turned to see there were four more behind her now. She opened the door to her left and slammed it shut behind her, trying to keep them out. She turned in the room to see Shikaku and Inoichi standing there staring at her.

"You could have saved us," Inoichi said, his eyes completely white and his skin pale and sickly looking.

"You didn't even try," Shikaku said his eyes also white but his skin was red and blotchy looking.

"No, I did, I swear I tried," she cried, her heart clenching uncomfortably. She pressed her back to the door and tried to decide if the dozen Gais in the hallway were better than facing the two men she regretted not being able to save.

"How dare you, you yank on my son's heart, then you just let me die. Hasn't that boy suffered enough because of you," Shikaku spat at her.

"No, I didn-"

"Why did you even come here? What good are you to us? You're nothing," Inoichi said as he slinked forward, like a cat preparing to pounce on its prey.

The door behind her rattled as the small army of Gais outside tried to get inside. She could hear them all muttering the same thing now: "Your fault. It's all your fault."

She bolted upright in bed with a sharp scream. Her body was covered in cold sweat and she felt like she had she had cotton in her mouth for how dry it was. She quickly threw her covers off and padded into the kitchen to get a glass of water. She fumbled to get the glass, almost dropping it as her fingers shook. Once she had the water, she gulped it quickly as she tried to calm her frayed nerves. She was tired of the nightmares, though they had been happening less frequently lately.

Naruto had only stayed another night then he decided it was time for him to go back to his own apartment. He seemed to be doing alright, except that he said his bed was terrible compared to Avery's. It had been another two weeks since Naruto had been staying with her. In that time she had recovered more than enough to get out of her apartment and mingle with her friends again; something she was grateful for. She hated sitting around doing nothing for long periods of time.

She looked at her alarm clock, it was only two A.M. and she wanted to go back to sleep. But she knew she always ended up tossing and turning after a nightmare. She sighed, knowing Naruto was out of the village on a scouting mission with a bunch of their other friends. Who else could she go to? She still wasn't really on the greatest of terms with Shikamaru, for a couple fairly decent reasons, and there wasn't really too many other people she was that comfortable with.

She supposed she could orb to the sand and spend the night with Gaara, but she hadn't had a chance to talk to Temari aside from them saying they were so sorry about everything and crying all over each other right before Avery went and used so much energy healing people she passed out for a week.

That really only left one person she knew for sure she could go to. She decided she didn't care if it was weird so she pulled on the same pair of pants she had gotten from the very person she was going to go see. She pulled a long sleeved, dark green shirt on over her head and put her shoes on before she walked out of her apartment. She walked quickly toward her destination and when she got there she rapped three short knocks on the door.

She had not been expecting the person that answered.

"Avery, what are you doing here?" Obito asked as he rubbed sleep from his eyes.

 _Shit, I forgot Obito lives with him now._

"Ah… Sorry Obito, I was looking for Kakashi," she admitted sheepishly.

"Avery, come in," Kakashi said from the doorway to his bedroom.

Avery felt her jaw drop when she saw him standing there. He had no shirt on, and the sweats he was wearing hung low on his hips. The muscles of his chest and abdomen were hard and the V leading into his pants was ridiculous. Kakashi shirtless was so sexy it should be illegal. She had to remind herself of a few things as she stared at him: A, he was over ten years older than her and B, he was secretly in love with Yamato.

"A-are you sure? I could just go back home," she offered as she attempted not to drool.

"Don't be ridiculous, come inside."

Obito stepped aside so she could enter and then shut the door behind her. He smiled at her and walked over to the room off to the right she didn't remember seeing before.

"We expanded the two closets that used to be over there into a decent sized bedroom for Obito," Kakashi explained. "It took a while but I felt bad for him having to sleep on the couch every night."

"Right, of course," Avery said turning back to Kakashi.

"What's with the late visit?" Kakashi asked rubbing his maskless face.

"I woke up from a nightmare, and I know I have a hard time sleeping after I have a nightmare." She shuffled her feet a little as she was embarrassed she had come here all of a sudden. "I know Naruto is away right now, and I didn't know who else to turn to."

Kakashi chuckled a little and motioned for her to come in his bedroom with him. She smiled and walked passed him and plopped down on the end of his huge bed. He walked around her and sat down facing her.

"So what do you and Naruto generally do when you have a nightmare?"

"Either talk or snuggle," she said honestly. "Naruto is like a brother, so he and I just kind of do whatever."

"Well, snuggling probably isn't the best idea," Kakashi said trying not to laugh. "But we can talk."

Avery flipped him off before she sighed and laid across the foot of Kakashi's bed. "How's having Obito as a roommate?"

"Really good actually; when he cooks he cooks for both of us, and he cleans. He doesn't throw his crap everywhere… most of the things we got for his room were supplied by the village."

"Is he in the mission rotation yet?" she asked.

"Yeah, he went on the scouting mission I went on with me, Asuma, and Genma before Naruto and the team he went with went," Kakashi said. "It was good, Asuma and Genma picked up having him like they had been working together forever; it went great."

She smiled, "That's great. Have you guys had any chance to rekindle a friendship or anything?"

"Well, at first I think it was hard for him to open up. I kinda broke the ice by taking him over to Rin's grave," Kakashi said and he shrugged a little, "it helped."

She nodded smiling, "Its good he has you."

Kakashi shrugged again, "So tell me about these nightmares."

Avery looked at her fingers, pretending to pick at her nail bed, "It's really just the same dream over and over with different people it seems like." When he just looked at her and waited she sighed and continued. "I keep having dreams about the people I couldn't save. Random people on teams I had found dead or the people in headquarters…" she trailed off.

"Avery, you know that none of that is your fault," Kakashi said reaching out to touch her arm. "You're not responsible for any of them. You couldn't have gotten to headquarters in time."

"But I did, I was there," she said as she felt the tears sting her eyes. "I reached my hand right out to Shikaku, and the next thing I knew I was on the battlefield. I orbed out of there a second before the explosion without even realizing it."

Kakashi shook his head at her, "You're talking to someone who went through years of the same nightmare about someone I couldn't save. You have to learn how to not feel responsible. I'm sure Shikamaru and Ino don't think you're responsible."

Avery nodded absently, he was right of course, "The dream I had tonight had Shikaku and Inoichi, but it started with Gai."

"Also not your fault, that's his fault."

"It's just so hard not to feel responsible," she said wiping a tear off her cheek.

"I know, believe me I do," he said as he pulled her toward him. She went willingly and hugged him tightly.

"Thanks Kakashi," she said against his shoulder.

"Anytime…"

She sat back and looked at him, "Have you visited Yamato?"

Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed, "No, I haven't"

"Kakashi…"

He glared at her.

"You're lying," she said smugly.

"It's late, we should get some sleep," he said, effectively shutting down the conversation. "There should be a blanket on the couch."

"Aww Naruto would have let me sleep in his bed with him," she said pouting. When he just looked at her she raised her hands in surrender, "I'm kidding I'm going." She walked out into the living room and grabbed the blanket. She wrapped it around herself before she lay down on the couch and within a minute she was asleep.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Another couple days passed without any excitement. Naruto got back from his scouting mission early so he and Avery had gone out to Ramen the night he had returned. They discussed the fact that the following day was Kakashi's birthday and they decided they wanted to do something special for him.

"What kind of something special?" Avery asked.

"I don't know, we can't make him a cake, he doesn't like sweets," Naruto said. "We could get him a present or throw him a little party."

"How old is he?"

"I believe he'll be thirty-two."

"Well, we could find a place for us to gather everyone to celebrate. We could listen to music, eat food, drink, I even think I could scrounge up a karaoke machine," she said smiling.

"That would actually be really fun," Naruto said. "The more I hang out with you the more I like music anyway," he said.

"You're a very good singer and dancer too," she said smiling at him.

"I try," he said.

"But where would we have it? No one has a place big enough," she said.

"Uhh, I think Lee has this old dojo out on the outskirts of the village, we could ask him if we could use that," he suggested.

"That's not a bad idea, Naruto," she said tousling his hair. He ducked his head and pushed her hand away and they went to find Lee to ask him. He thought it was a great idea so they decided that was what they would do.

The next day they told everyone about their plans in the morning and everyone seemed to be enthusiastic about the idea. Avery had planned out what she was going to do with the dojo and she said she was going to be working on getting it set up most of the day.

Naruto promised he would come back to help her after he, Sasuke, and Sai made their visit to Yamato. He realized with a heavy heart that it was the thirtieth day since he had been brought back to the village, and it happened to fall on Kakashi's birthday. He really needed to wake up soon.

When he got to the hospital he went straight inside and bypassed the nurse at the front counter. He knew where he was going they had been coming twice a week for a month now. He was the first one there today, as he walked into Yamato's room to see only his captain, still in his month-long sleep. He sat down in his usual chair, which was still in the position he had it in earlier that week and put his feet on the edge of Yamato's bed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, waiting for his friends to come and hoped, prayed, that Yamato would wake today.

Sai and Sasuke showed up about the same time and took their seats around Yamato's bed. Sasuke always came, but didn't always talk a whole lot. Naruto had gotten used to it, and no matter how many times he asked the raven, he always denied anything going on with Sakura.

They all sat in silence for a few minutes today. They knew how many days it had been since they brought him in and it worried all of them, even Sasuke. Sasuke didn't even know the man on the bed, but he knew he was important to Naruto and Sakura, and it made him hope just as hard that he would be alright.

"So… thirty days," Sai finally said sadly.

"Yeah," Naruto said.

"Does anyone know if they've reached out to the person on his paperwork yet?" Sasuke asked.

"Not that I know of," Naruto said. "Sakura wasn't even allowed to look at who it was."

"I know, she was really frustrated by it," Sasuke said.

"Are you and her getting any closer to dating?" Sai asked.

"I'm not interested in her that way," Sasuke said. "And I told her that, she knows."

Naruto looked at Sasuke, "she knows, but does she understand?"

"We had a very long discussion about it, maybe you could ask her out, she might say yes this time," Sasuke teased halfheartedly. He didn't actually mean it.

Naruto shook his head, "I'm not actually interested in her that way anymore. I haven't been for a while."

"What changed?"

"In a way, I did. But really so much has changed in the time you've been away Sasuke," Naruto said. "Surely you must have seen this by now."

"Hn," Sasuke just made a noise before folding his arms and looking away. He didn't trust himself to say much more than that.

"So what about Hinata?" Sai asked. "What's the plan for her?"

Naruto shrugged a little, "I don't really know. I haven't thought much about it. I mean just because Neji and Tenten are public doesn't mean the rest of us have to pair up."

Sai rolled his eyes, "Well I know, but that doesn't mean you can't just ask her on a date right?"

"No I suppo-" Naruto stopped and his eyes narrowed at his comrade. "Sai, what are you getting at?"

A dark blush crossed Sai's extremely pale cheeks, "I've been thinking… I might ask Ino on a date," he admitted sheepishly.

"Wait, really? Ino?" Naruto asked. Sasuke looked just as shocked.

"Well… yeah," Sai said. "I mean she's beautiful and she is unique and I know she's deep. I just want to get to know her better."

"That's great, Sai," Naruto said encouragingly. He was happy his socially awkward friend was branching out this way.

"Well as great as it may be, I have no idea to ask a girl out," Sai said.

"And you think I do?" Naruto asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Well you've asked Sakura out more times than anyone can count. You must have SOME tips," Sai teased.

"If you recall, I got turned down every single one of those times," Naruto said laughing. He looked over and noticed Sasuke was also laughing.

"Well yeah," Sai said and threw his hands up. "You guys are no help!"

The three of them continued to laugh until they heard a new sound in the room. Naruto immediately looked at Yamato to see he had moved. He leapt to his feet as Yamato groaned again; his eyes trying to open, but it seemed like the light in the room might have been too bright. He ran over to the lights and shut them off. Sai and Sasuke were both on their feet now as well, and it dawned on Naruto that Sasuke being here might freak him out.

"Go get Tsunade," he hissed at Sasuke.

"Why me?" Sasuke argued.

"Because he doesn't know about you being back in the village, you need to get out," Naruto said as he shoved Sasuke toward the door. Sasuke seemed to understand and went willingly to go find Tsunade. Naruto turned back to Yamato who was now rubbing his eyes and reached to take the oxygen tube off his face.

"No, no you have to keep that on," Naruto said as he and Sai both reached to stop him from taking it off.

"Where…" Yamato groaned as he covered his eyes again.

"You're in Konoha, in the hospital," Naruto said gently. "Sai pull the curtain closed." Sai did as he was told, making the room even darker.

Yamato finally managed to open his eyes all the way after that. He looked around unseeingly for a few minutes before Naruto and Sai's faces swam into focus. He tried to sit up, but noticed it was extremely hard to move, and that both boys pressed his shoulders back down.

"You've gotta stay down, Tsunade will be here soon," Naruto said.

"What happened? How did I get here?" Yamato asked.

Naruto and Sai looked at each other, neither sure of what they were supposed to say, or what they were allowed to tell him.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Naruto asked.

"Umm… I guess that would be being captured by Kabuto," he said as he struggled to think about what happened. "That Tobi guy was there. I remember snakes… and a dark cave… and needles," he muttered. Naruto and Sai looked up at each other. He seemed remembered everything up to him losing consciousness.

Tsunade came in then and saved them from having to say anymore. Sasuke was hanging by the door, not wanting to freak the man out.

"Yamato, it's Tsunade, do you know where you are?" she asked as she began taking his vitals. Naruto scrambled out of her way, not really wanting to get hit. She looked like she was on a mission.

"Naruto said Konoha…" he murmured softly.

"Alright good, you're coherent," Tsunade said as she wrote a few things down on the clipboard she had next to his bed. "How do you feel?"

"Confused… a little nauseous… tired…" he said weakly. "How long have I been here? What happened with the war?" he asked as it dawned on him that everyone was here.

"You've been here quite a while," Tsunade said carefully. "The war is over, we lost many shinobi but we did manage to stop Madara."

Yamato nodded in understanding. "That's great," he said closing his eyes again. "How long is quite a while," he asked

"A month," Tsunade said hesitantly.

His eyes flew back open and he stared at Tsunade in disbelief, "A month?"

"Yes, you've been in a coma."

His mouth hung open as he considered that. He looked back up at Naruto and Sai's worried faces and his heart thumped painfully as he realized how much his team must have cared about him. They were the ones to be here when he woke. He gazed over toward the door and saw someone he wasn't expecting.

"Is that Sasuke?"

"Yes," Naruto spoke up then. Tsunade just nodded at him so he continued, "he came to help us in the war. He's back in the village now. Along with Obito," Naruto paused realizing Yamato wouldn't know who Obito was.

"Obito? But isn't he dead?" Yamato asked confused.

Tsunade looked at Naruto, "He's known Kakashi a long time. He must have told him about him at some point."

Naruto nodded, "Tobi was Obito."

Yamato's heart thumped painfully in his head as he tried to wrap his mind around everything that was being said. He nodded slowly and looked back up, "They both have been pardoned then?"

"Yes, after a trial for each, they are both living in the village again," Tsunade said.

He nodded slowly, trying to understand everything. "If I've been in a coma, why am I so damned tired?"

Everyone in the room laughed at that and he looked up, trying to crane his head to see his chakra monitor. "Wow, my chakra is low," he said.

"It was just about out completely when they brought you in," Tsunade said. "If you hadn't gotten here when you did you might not be alive."

Yamato looked up at Sai and Naruto again. They both seemed more relaxed now and Sasuke had joined them. He smiled at the way the boys all stood together, like friends, but something was nagging his mind. "How's Kakashi?"

Naruto smiled almost sadly when he answered, "He's fine. Obito's living with him and they seem to be doing well."

Yamato took a deep breath hearing that and struggled with the anger and jealousy he felt in his gut. Why wasn't Kakashi the one to be here when he woke? Would he come later? Yamato was hopeful, but he knew he needed to hide his thoughts, "Sakura?" he asked.

"Also doing just fine," Tsunade said. "I'll let her know you're awake so she can come check on you when she's done with the surgery she's currently in." Tsunade turned to the boys, "for now, I think we need to let him rest," she said basically telling the boys to excuse themselves.

"Alright, rest up Captain Yamato, we'll be back to see you later," Naruto said as he patted his foot.

"Thank you. I'll see you guys later," he said with closed eyes.

Sai and Sasuke both muttered a goodbye as they followed Naruto out of the room. None of them said anything all the way through the rest of the hospital, but once they were outside they all turned to each other.

"We've gotta tell Kakashi he's awake," Naruto and Sai said together.

"Avery should know too," Sasuke said.

Naruto nodded at Sasuke, "Yes, she should. She's getting Kakashi-Sensei's birthday thing set up at Lee's old dojo."

"I'll go tell her," Sai volunteered. "You two should be the ones to tell Kakashi."

Naruto nodded, and he and Sasuke ran off to find their former sensei.

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Author notes: Thank you for all the support everyone! Would love to read your opinions in review form! See you next week!


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimers: I do not own anything Naruto or anything else mentioned in this fic._

 _Warnings: Any KakashixTenzou fans might get a hint of feels in this chapter._

 _This is a pretty long chapter with a fairly long flashback. Hope you guys like it. Please let me know what you all think!_

 _Also what couples do you guys see happening? :D_

 _Chapter Seventeen_

 _Thirty days… thirty damned days…_

Kakashi was sitting on a tree branch with one of his Icha Icha books open in front of his face, but not actually seeing the pages. He was too focused on what day it was. The thirty day mark of his team bringing the mokuton user into the hospital had approached far too fast for his taste. He wasn't ready to have to fight someone to let him stay. Whoever was on his paperwork was going to have to answer to him if they wanted to move him; and letting him go just wasn't an option.

He clutched his book tighter in his hand as he thought of the latter option. It wasn't an option in Kakashi's mind; there was no way he was letting his Kouhai go without a fight. Of course, it was a delicate situation since no one knew of the feelings he had for the other man. He would have to tread carefully on the topic.

"Kakashi-Sensei!"

"Kakashi!"

He heard his name being called by two of his former students. He looked down from where he was sitting to see them passing under the tree. They paused as they could both feel his chakra in the area, and then looked up.

"Kakashi, there you are," Naruto said.

"What is it?" he asked from his perch in the tree. He had been trying not to sound irritated but he wasn't sure it worked.

"Captain Yamato," Naruto said, dangling the information in front of him. Both he and Sasuke wanted to see the reaction from their ex-sensei.

Kakashi froze waiting for the rest of the sentence. Was it time to go kick someone's ass? "What about him?" he growled.

Naruto and Sasuke both looked at each other. From the tone of Kakashi's voice, they decided they should not yank him around about this and just tell him.

"He's awake," Sasuke said.

Relief washed through Kakashi's body, slamming through his heart and his veins upon hearing those words. He felt like the sun was actually hitting his face for the first time in a month. His Kouhai was awake, he wasn't going anywhere.

"When did he wake?" Kakashi asked quietly.

"About an hour ago," Naruto said. "Tsunade told us we needed to let him rest, but I'm sure she would let you go see him."

"Thank you. I'll just let him rest for now," Kakashi said as he snapped his book shut. He didn't wait for the boys to respond before he ran off toward his home. He got there and slipped inside his bedroom window, not wanting to walk passed Obito in case he had too much emotion on his face.

He knew he couldn't go see Tenzou in the hospital right now. He didn't know who else would be there or what he might do. The last thing he needed was to break down in front of anyone else. He would wait to go see him until after the birthday party he was being subjected to; not that he was ungrateful, he just wasn't the birthday party type.

He lay down on his bed thinking about what he would say to Tenzou. Each time he thought about his real name sending a pang of agonizing pain through Kakashi. Ever since he had found out what had happened to the man, his name had struck a painful chord within Kakashi. Truth be told, the only reason Kakashi felt he needed to go see Tenzou, was he needed to see with his own eyes that Tenzou was awake. After that, he needed to stay away from him.

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 _(FLASHBACK)_

 _Kakashi trailed behind his team as they went to find Tenzou. He had not been permitted to go by Tsunade but he decided he didn't care; he needed to go. He caught up to Naruto, Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai right as they stopped to try to find where Obito's hideout had been. The hideout they had Tenzou locked away in._

" _Kakashi-Sensei, you're chakra exhausted! You weren't supposed to be here!" Sakura scolded him._

" _I couldn't leave my team," was all he said in response as he panted heavily from the exhaustion he could feel setting in._

 _Sakura chewed on her lip a little and sighed, "Just stay back, let us handle this," she said sympathetically._

" _I can't sense him," Naruto said then._

" _Me either," Sasuke added._

" _I got it," Sai said kneeling down and unrolling a scroll. He quickly drew about thirty mice on the page before he made a hand sign, "Ninja art; super beast scroll."_

 _The mice all came to life off the page and scattered, running away to find what Sai wanted. He held his position, knelt on the ground with his hand in front of his face while the mice searched for him. When the mice all came back to him, they took their places on the page. As the last one settled on the scroll, Sai's eyes popped open and he lurched up._

" _I've got him," he said and they all followed behind him to where the entrance to the hideout was._

 _The entrance was blocked by a large stone door that had a device on the top. Naruto took one look at it and knew they wouldn't be able to just break their way in. They needed to break that thing off first._

" _We'll just break it," Sakura said stepping forward. Both Sasuke and Naruto threw their arms out in front of her._

" _We can't, just hang on a second," Naruto said. He looked up at Sasuke then, "Sasuke do you know what jutsu he used?"_

" _Yes, I can open it if you can break the chakra stunner off," he said stepping forward._

 _Naruto nodded and jumped up on the wall, getting into position to break the stunner off. He waited for Sasuke to give him the signal, as he was beginning his hand signs, to surround his hand in chakra and break off the stunner. It hurt a little through his chakra, but he managed to get it off and jumped down to the ground._

 _Sasuke was shaking in his final hand sign as he tried to force the door open. Finally the door opened enough of a crack for them to get in and he let go._

" _Good work, Sasuke," Naruto said and they all dashed inside. Once inside, Naruto and Sasuke sensed for Yamato's chakra and Naruto felt it before anyone else did. "This way," he said and ran down a hallway to the right._

 _They came across another door that Sasuke and Naruto immediately began pushing to the side. They fueled their chakra and pushed as hard as they could, finally feeling the door budge and slide open. They walked inside and couldn't believe what they saw._

 _Kakashi's eyes went straight to Tenzou's body. He was stuck inside a huge stone with a Hashirama figure emerging from it above him. The emotions that ran through him seeing his Kouhai that way ranged from rage to despair to heartbroken. He couldn't stand to see this and it bothered him that he immediately thought he had to be dead with the way his head hung there._

 _Naruto walked forward and knelt next to him. He placed his fingers against his throat and waited for a moment before he felt a pulse and he sighed in relief. Sakura saw his sigh and gasped taking it the wrong way. He looked up and smiled at her, "he's alive."_

 _A wave of relief washed through all of them, even Sasuke. He didn't want this person his team obviously cared so much about to be dead. He walked forward to the other side of Yamato, "We probably can't just pull him out?"_

" _I doubt it but we can try," Naruto said. Together they each grabbed one of his upper arms and gently pulled; he didn't budge. "Alright so that's a no," Naruto said as he backed up._

" _Without knowing what jutsu they used to put him in there, it's going to be extremely difficult to get him out," Sasuke said._

" _Well we could try unsealing?" Sai suggested._

 _Naruto was staring at the stone while they were talking; Sasuke and Sai were debating a jutsu to try when it dawned on him. "Or we could break it," he said turning to look at Sakura, who was still standing by the door with Kakashi._

 _It took Sakura a minute to realize what Naruto was suggesting, but once it set in she panicked. "No, Naruto I can't break that!"_

" _Yes of course you can," he said stepping toward her._

" _No! I mean I could kill him!"_

" _No, you won't! Remember how he taught us to find the weak point in a structure? It was our first mission," Naruto said gripping her shoulders._

" _He used his mokuton on that!"_

" _Only because we had to be quiet! This isn't the same, come on I'll show you," Naruto said dragging her along with him._

 _Sakura protested, but he wasn't listening. He hopped up onto the stone and helped her up with him. Once they were on top of their captain's prison, he started searching for a weak point. "Come on, come on," he muttered under his breath until his thumbs found what he was looking for. "Right here! Sakura, you can do this!"_

" _No! I can't Naruto! I can't do it!"_

" _Sakura," Naruto said patiently._

" _I can't, I can't," Sakura chanted._

" _SAKURA!" Naruto shouted, getting her attention. "Do you trust me?"_

 _She hesitated a moment, looking behind her at the rest of the stone. She turned back to him, "Naruto," she said sounding unsure._

" _Do you trust me?" he repeated._

" _Yes!" she shrieked, "yes of course I do! I trust you with my life."_

" _Then trust me with his," Naruto said, taking her hand. "Trust that I don't want him to die anymore than you do. But Sakura, if we don't get him out of there, he is going to die."_

 _Sakura felt tears falling down her cheeks as Naruto released her and backed up to where the spot he found was. He bent down and pointed to it again._

" _Right here, Sakura," he said before he turned to look down behind him at where Sasuke and Sai were still standing. "Are you two ready to pull him out?"_

" _Yes," they answered._

" _Don't forget to support his head," Naruto said and Sasuke moved one hand to the back of Yamato's head._

 _The emotions running through Kakashi were enough to drive someone insane; or maybe kill Avery. He was glad she wasn't here for this. He watched as his team prepared to save his Kouhai while he was frozen in place by the love he felt in his heart as well as the immense chakra exhaustion. He knew he was going to be useless, but he couldn't help it. He needed to be here._

" _Sakura! Do it now!" Naruto shouted._

 _Sakura sobbed harder as she whispered, "I'm so sorry." She stepped forward, fueling her chakra into her fist, "CHA!" she shouted as she punched the stone._

 _It immediately cracked under the monstrous strength of Sakura's punch. Naruto wobbled a little before he jumped off and then turned to catch Sakura as she fell off. They watched as Sai and Sasuke pulled hard enough to dislodge him from the stone and they dragged him out together. "We've got him!" Sai shouted as they sat him up to untie his hands when they realized they were bound._

" _Woah!" the two boys shouted together, jumping back after seeing what his hands were bound by. Kabuto had left a small white snake with two heads on it, one head still had its fangs sunk into one of Yamato's hands, the other was hissing viciously at Sasuke and Sai. Sai backed up as far as he could without having to let go of Yamato's shoulder so he wouldn't fall forward, while Sasuke took his sword out, preparing to cut it off._

" _Wait!" Sakura cried, Sasuke looked up at her. "Something that effects chakra like I'm sure that snake does has to let go voluntarily. If we cut it or tear it, it will only cause more damage."_

" _What do you suggest?"_

" _We need to get him back to the village as soon as possible," Sakura said. "Unfortunately, it might be better to transport him with it on."_

" _I can get us back, we just need to get him outside," Sai said._

 _Naruto nodded, understanding the plan and walked forward. He grabbed Yamato under his left arm and motioned for Sasuke to grab him under his right._

" _Sai, get outside and have the birds ready when we get there," Naruto said._

" _Got it," he said and dashed out._

 _Kakashi watched as his former students carefully lifted the mokuton user, trying not to piss the snake off and started to carry him out the door. He followed behind them with Sakura as they slowly carried him outside. Sai already had one bird drawn and went to take Yamato's left arm from Naruto so he could get up on the bird. Sasuke and Sai worked together to lift him up so Naruto could get him onto the giant ink bird with him. Naruto then extended a hand to Kakashi and helped him get up on the bird as well._

" _See you guys at the village," Naruto said before the bird took off toward Konoha._

 _Kakashi watched Tenzou's face the entire ride back. It was peaceful, like he was just sleeping. But Kakashi feared that was not the case since he hadn't stirred once while their team was helping him. He wanted to reach out and touch him, but with Naruto sitting there he thought it would be too obvious. He just settled for being here with him._

 _Once they arrived in the leaf, Naruto grabbed Yamato under his arms, from the front in order to avoid the snake, and jumped down. He struggled a bit trying to carry Yamato's dead weight by himself, so when Kakashi got down to help he didn't argue. Kakashi could feel how weak he was from the chakra exhaustion, but he didn't care. The only thing that mattered to him at this point was getting his Kouhai to safety._

 _They had him inside the hospital by the time the rest of the group showed up on the other large ink bird. The nurse at the front desk told them what floor to take him to and they went for the elevator, holding it open for Sakura, Sasuke, and Sai to come running in, before riding it up to the third floor. There they got out and turned a corner just in time to hear Tsunade yelling._

" _I demand to know the second they get in," she shouted as she turned toward the group. "Never mind they're here!" she called and ushered them into the room she was next to. Naruto and Sasuke, who had taken over for Kakashi, got Yamato to the empty bed in the room and laid him on his front._

" _Anyone got any bright ideas?" Naruto asked, referring to the snake._

" _Hatake, go check in," Tsunade barked at her irresponsible Jounin._

" _I'm not going anywhere," Kakashi growled._

" _Then sit your ass down," she said motioning to the other bed, which had a sleeping Obito in it. Kakashi sat down on the end of the bed and leveled Tsunade with a hard, stubborn glare. She rolled her eyes at him and then turned back to the task at hand._

" _Let me try something," Sasuke said as he stepped forward. He held out his hand to the snake, trying to appeal to the snake. He had spent enough time with Orochimaru and Kabuto; he knew how to communicate with them. One of the snakes heads let go and looked at him with droopy, doped up eyes. The other head was still holding tightly to Yamato._

 _The one head had unwrapped the whole body from Yamato's hands, following Sasuke's hand movements. It slithered up Sasuke's arm as he tried to get the other head to release its grip. Finally it let go, but it immediately latched onto Sasuke's hand and the other head latched onto his arm. He shouted in pain and stumbled backward into the wall across the room and slid down it._

 _Tsunade and Sakura immediately turned Yamato over onto his back and began checking his vitals. "Sasuke," Tsunade said like she had a question._

" _Now that it's bit you can you tell us what's going on?" Sasuke predicted her question._

" _Well, yeah," she said._

" _It's a paralysis poison of some sort," Sasuke gasped in pain. "I can't move my entire arm already, and it feels like it's eating my chakra."_

 _Sakura and Tsunade exchanged a look before Sakura ran from the room. She came back with two buckets full of liquid. It was a liquid they could use to extract the poison. Tsunade had grabbed a couple of basins from under the bed to empty the poison into and the two set to work removing as much poison as they could from Yamato's completely still body._

" _Naruto," Sasuke rasped, "get this thing the fuck off of me."_

" _Hang on let me figure something out."_

" _Rip it the fuck off," he growled._

" _No! Sakura said we can't do that remember?"_

" _I've got an idea," Sai said as he drew a snake on one of his scrolls. He brought the ink snake to life and they waited for the other snake's heads to both let go and attack the strange black snake. Naruto grabbed Sasuke's sword and cut the thing in two before kicking it away from Sasuke. It stopped moving where it landed across the room._

" _Naruto," Tsunade called, "go out to the nurse's station cabinet in the hall. In the top drawer there should be a thick, steel syringe. I need it."_

" _Okay I got it!" he said and hurried out._

" _You called_ him _to do that?" Sasuke asked._

" _I HEARD THAT, ASSHOLE," Naruto called._

 _Tsunade rolled her eyes as she and Sakura extracted the last of the poison they could reach. Yamato hadn't moved once during the entire process. Naruto came back with a syringe in hand and asked, "Is this it?"_

" _Yes, it is actually," Tsunade said slightly surprised._

" _No faith," he shook his head at her._

 _She took the syringe and quickly uncapped it before she stuck Yamato in the neck with it. She injected part of the liquid in it there, before removing it to stab his thigh. She then handed it to Sakura who stabbed his other thigh, before moving to his side between his ribs._

" _That should get to the poison we couldn't get out," Tsunade said calmly. She looked over him with a slightly worried look, "Sai, go get the Hyuuga nurse from the first floor. He should be in the E.R." she instructed._

" _Yes ma'am," Sai said before dashing out of the room._

" _Why Hyuuga?" Sasuke asked._

" _I need someone that can see the amount of chakra, you can't do that," she explained._

 _Sasuke nodded in understanding, "His chakra signal is very weak though."_

 _She nodded once before looking at Sakura, "Why don't you remove the poison from Sasuke?" she suggested._

" _Okay," Sakura said and went to grab a fresh bucket. She bent next to Sasuke and told him to remain as still as possible as she began her work. Sasuke managed to stay still but he shouted out in pain and ground his teeth against the pain._

 _Naruto watched Sakura working on Sasuke and how much pain he was in before he looked at the hopeless look on Kakashi's face. "It's a bad sign isn't it?" he asked as his eyes rested on Tsunade._

" _What?"_

" _That Sakura removing that crap from Sasuke makes him yell in pain… but Captain Yamato didn't move," Naruto voiced his observation hesitantly._

 _Tsunade sighed, "It's not good."_

 _They waited patiently for Sai to return with the Hyuuga nurse. When they did, the Hyuuga asked what he could do for his Hokage. "I need you to see how much chakra he has," Tsunade ordered._

 _The Hyuuga activated his Byakugan and looked at Yamato. His expression turned to one of shock as he gasped. "He has next to no chakra," he said slowly. "And… it isn't regenerating at all."_

 _Tsunade sucked in a sharp breath as she realized what that meant. Sakura must have also realized what that meant as she covered her mouth and began to sob._

" _What does that mean?" Naruto asked._

 _Tsunade pinched the bridge of her nose and took two deep breaths to center herself. "It means he's in a coma," she said softly. She gave the nurse a list of things she needed and told Sai to assist him in bringing her what she needed._

" _Sakura, if you can't pull yourself together, I will ban you from working on his case," Tsunade barked then._

 _Sakura wiped her cheeks and shook her head, "I'm fine ma'am!"_

" _Good, Naruto, get us a hospital gown from the hall please," she said as she moved forward to begin to undress him._

 _Kakashi watched in agony as Sakura removed his head piece and set it aside on the table. Together, Tsunade and Sakura removed his shirt and Sakura folded it up and set it aside. Naruto had come back with the gown and Tsunade put it on Yamato while Sakura worked on tying it in the back and Naruto removed Yamato's shoes. They carefully removed his pants after the gown was in place, keeping him covered, and then tucked him under the blankets._

 _The Hyuuga nurse came back with the equipment Tsunade had requested. She and Sakura set to work attaching all the necessary monitors to Yamato. Kakashi suppressed an angry growl as he watched them stick him with an IV needle. He didn't like this… not one bit._

 _The whole thing became increasingly hard for Naruto to watch. He stepped forward when they finished setting him up. A steady beeping could be heard, monitoring Yamato's heart rate, and Naruto felt tears prickle his eyes. He ignored the feeling and took Yamato's hand and squeezed it._

" _You've been through a lot with me over the last year," he said as he spoke to the only person in the room that couldn't hear him. "You helped me perfect my jutsu, you taught me many valuable lessons, and you were the one to go with me when Octopops taught me how to go about getting access to Kurama's chakra. You've been with me through so much… I refuse to believe this is it," he said as a tear fell down his cheek. "You have got to pull through this," Naruto said and released his hand. He turned to leave as his emotions became too much, but Sai stopped him._

" _Wait I'll go with you in a minute," Sai said softly before he stepped toward his captain. "You were in the foundation like me," he said and Tsunade sighed. "I realize I am not supposed to know that, but whatever. You were a large part of me turning to the light when all I knew was the darkness of the foundation. You helped me to learn how to work with my team. I owe everything to you, Naruto and Sakura. Please wake up soon," he finished and he walked out of the room with Naruto as tears fell from his eyes._

 _Kakashi's heart clenched uncomfortably in his chest from hearing his team's confessions. He realized he had been holding onto the rail at the end of Obito's bed and let go of it, rubbing the ache away from his hand because he had been holding it so tightly there was no blood flow left in his hand._

" _Kakashi, go check in," Tsunade ordered._

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Kakashi was pulled from his flashback by a knock on his bedroom door. He got up and opened the door to Obito.

"Are you ready? It's time to go," he said standing there. He was wearing civilian clothes; dark jeans and a black T-shirt. Kakashi raised his brow at him before he looked down at his standard Jounin uniform. "Are you going to change?"

"Um… Yeah give me a minute," he said and closed the door. He walked to his closet and pulled out a pair of dark grey jeans. He changed quickly, leaving his undershirt with his mask on, and walked into the living room to join Obito. Together, they left the apartment and walked toward the dojo.

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Avery walked into the hospital; it was about an hour before the party was supposed to start. She found out what room she was going to and walked up to it, walking in to see that Yamato was awake. "Well aren't you just a vision," she said teasingly. His eyes were squinted and his hair was everywhere on his head. She noticed it had gotten a bit longer while he had been out.

"Shut up," he said weakly as he tried to sit up. "What are you doing here? Don't you have a party or something?"

"Yeah, in a while, I wanted to make sure you were okay first," she said as she sat down next to him.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Yamato looked up bashfully, "How is everyone?"

"By everyone do you mean Kakashi?"

"No… I mean… well… yeah I guess I do," he said sheepishly.

"Has he not come to see you yet?" she asked.

"No, he hasn't," he said trying not to sound dejected or upset by it.

Avery read Yamato's emotions as she had brought up Kakashi. His heart had skipped a beat at just the mention of his name and Avery had to hide the smile. He was so disappointed though that Avery could feel the pain in her own heart.

"Have they told you everything you missed?"

"Yeah… it's really disorienting to wake up and find out you missed over a month of time though," he said.

"What's the last thing you remember?"

"I remember getting captured by Kabuto and everything they did to me. After that everything went dark and I woke up over a month later to find out we won the war and Obito is alive. Sasuke is back in the village and I just don't know what to think about anything anymore," he said. He just looked weak and tired, and his voice was raspy.

"You also haven't had a ton of time to get used to any of it," Avery said. "Maybe you'll feel differently after you have some time to wrap your head around it."

"I don't really have a problem with any of it, it's just shocking."

"Yeah I understand," she said and stood up. "I hate to cut this short, but I have to go pick up some things before I get back to the dojo."

Yamato nodded lightly and settled back into bed. He closed his eyes and it looked like he was going to go back to sleep so Avery turned to leave. "Did you get him a cake yet?"

"No, I was going to go pick one up," she lied smoothly. She knew Kakashi didn't like sweets, but she wanted to hear Yamato's suggestion.

"Don't… he dislikes sweets," Yamato said.

Avery looked at Yamato with a smile on her face, "What do you suggest then?"

Yamato didn't respond right away. He was still for so long Avery thought he might have fallen asleep and right when she was about to turn to leave he said, "Banana bread. He loves banana bread."

"Thank you, I'll go get that instead then," she said and slipped out of the room.

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Avery had just picked up the last few things she needed for Kakashi's party and was walking back toward the dojo. She was humming to herself happily. She was having fun doing this, getting everyone together to hang out and have fun together. She thought maybe it could be a reoccurring thing whenever they all needed a break or if they just wanted to have some fun. With the new peace happening in the world, yes there were still plenty of missions and things to do, but they were able to relax a little too.

She was readjusting her bags she was carrying when she heard someone coming along. She was just going to ignore the person as they walked by until she realized who it was.

"Let me help you with that," said the laziest ninja she had ever met.

She turned her head to look into the slim black eyes of the shadow user. "Shikamaru," she said softly. She hadn't gotten much chance to talk to him lately, or that was what she told herself due to all the nightmares she had about his father.

Well, that and the Itachi dreams. She wasn't sure how to face the guy she had had a crush on for the longest time now; especially when she was having the hottest dreams she had ever had in her life about a _freaking_ _dead guy_. Of all the times to run into Shikamaru, this was by far the most awkward… and a little bit "troublesome" considering everything going on already today.

"Avery… Ah… How have you been?" Shikamaru asked as he scratched the back of his head.

"I'm well, thank you," she said with a smile, even though inside she was thinking about how this was the worst timing ever for this conversation to have to happen. "How are you and your mother doing?" It felt so awkward to be talking to him again; it was the only question that sprang to mind.

"Better, thank you," Shikamaru said.

He wasn't one to mope; he had his time to get over it. While it would always be hard and devastating, he knew it was part of the life he led as a ninja. He would have to get used to it. "I haven't seen you around much," he said changing the subject. It was like he was trying to drag some kind of a response out of her. Like he was baiting her almost; trying to get her to speak without having to put much effort in himself.

"I know," she said trying to think of a good enough excuse. "I was recovering for a long time; then I guess I've just been floating around a lot."

"Gone on any missions?" he asked nonchalantly. He was persistent; she had to give him credit for that much at least. And for him it came so easily that it seemed like any normal conversation happening between comrades. To anyone but the two of them, perhaps, it would have seemed like idle banter between teammates. But to the two of them, knowing that there wasn't a thing said that didn't have a deeper meaning underlying…

"Only one short one with Lee, it wasn't anything exciting though," she said softly. It wasn't that she was trying to be short with him; it was just the awkward air around them. Considering what had happened between them the last time they were this close it was hard not to feel just a little out of place.

"Yeah, Ino, Choji, and I have gone out scouting a bit but nothing major," he said. He was running out of things to say to her. Things had gotten so out of hand the last time they had actually hung out, and because of it, and the war, they had grown apart. He wasn't even sure he still had the same kind of feelings for her, but he didn't know how to bring it up.

"I really need to go get the rest of the party set up," she said looking for an escape.

"Of course," he said awkwardly. "I'll see you at the party then," he waved.

She smiled sweetly at him, "See you!" she said cheerfully before she managed to scoop up the rest of what she had with her and walked swiftly away from the shadow user. Now that she knew about Temari's feelings and everything, she didn't want anything to happen with Shikamaru until she had the chance to talk to Temari about it. She would have to get permission to go visit the sand soon.

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The party was going great; Avery had set up a karaoke machine and the amount of people that were willing to get up and sing was astounding. She didn't realize how into it they would all be. And she found out that not only was Naruto a really good singer, which she knew from hanging out with him, listening to music, but he was also a good dancer. He was having so much fun it was just fun to watch him laugh and smile. Sakura was also dancing quite a bit and they were trying to teach Sai, which was hilarious on its own.

When they weren't dancing, they were sitting at a table with Sasuke, Kakashi, and Obito. Sasuke didn't do much dancing, but Kakashi proved himself by dancing with Avery for a song, but for the most part they sat at the table and talked.

"Did everyone get to visit Yamato today?" Naruto asked the table.

"I went just before the party," Avery said smiling. "He's the one that gave me the banana bread tip instead of cake."

"Yeah Kakashi doesn't do sweets," Sasuke said. "I remember that much from team seven days."

"That's because you don't like sweets either," Sakura said.

"Yeah, well."

"Sakura, Kakashi?" Naruto asked with his original question in mind.

"I did," Sakura said. "I was the one that went to check on him and administer his pain meds this afternoon. I'm so glad he's awake," she giggled a little, "and he's hilarious when he's doped up on medication."

"Yes he is," Naruto said as Sasuke started laughing. "We went back to see him after you had given him his meds. Oh my god it was great."

"It really was," Sasuke said. "He was so dazed everything went right over his head."

"You two shouldn't make fun of the injured," Avery scolded.

"I would never," Naruto said in mock offense.

"Kakashi," Avery said.

"Hmm?"

"Did you go visit Yamato?"

"Oh no, I didn't get the chance," Kakashi said trying to brush off the topic.

No one said anything, but the look that was exchanged between Sai, Sakura, and Naruto said everything. Avery could tell they thought that was weird. She thought it was wrong herself; and she probed his emotions for a reason, but he seemed to be blocking her.

They didn't talk about it much more after that. The party began to wind down as people were coming over to say happy birthday to Kakashi and leaving. Asuma and Kurenai had actually gotten him a present and said they had to go relieve Konohamaru of babysitting duty. After enough people had left, Kakashi stood and announced he would be going.

"Did you at least have fun?" Naruto asked.

"Yes actually, I did," Kakashi said surprised to find it was true. "I was nervous about the whole thing, but I appreciate everything you guys did."

Avery smiled and waved at him and he left. She looked at Obito; he was watching after Kakashi, looking like he was going to follow him. Everyone else just kept talking like nothing happened and after a few minutes, Obito stood. "I'll be heading out now too," he said calmly.

"Have a good night," Avery waved.

He nodded his head at her before he walked out the door. He thought about where he was going, as he knew if he went home the apartment would be empty.

 _I think it's time to find out what is going on with Kakashi,_ Obito thought as he walked toward the hospital.

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When Kakashi left the party, he figured he should have just gone home. He considered it before he sighed and headed toward the hospital. He knew he needed to see for himself that Tenzou was awake. He just wasn't sure he was ready for the emotion that was going to come with it, or how to hide it.

 _It would probably help if I stopped thinking of him as Tenzou…_ Kakashi thought as he walked up to the hospital, pain clawing at his heart every time he thought of the name. Visiting hours were technically over, but he knew no one would catch him. He had been sneaking into the hospital at all hours of the day and night for the last month, what was one more time?

He got to Tenzou's- _Yamato's_ room, and paused outside the door for a few minutes to make sure he was calm and collected before he went inside. His eyes raked over the man in the bed, who was asleep. He looked no different than he did before, except that he was in a different position and only had the IV connected to him now rather than all the monitor wires.

Kakashi sighed as he walked to the chair he had occupied every day of the last month and sat down. All he wanted was to see his Kouhai's almond shaped eyes and know he was awake and that would be enough. He knew he needed to distance himself from Yamato after this. If how he felt after him being in a coma was any indication; Kakashi wasn't sure what he would have done if Yamato had ended up dead.

He sat there thinking about how he felt and what he was supposed to do about it for over an hour before he decided he was ridiculous. He stood up and decided he would just have to come back when the man in the bed was awake the next day. He sighed and left the room, walking quickly out of the hospital and froze in his tracks when he saw his roommate standing just outside the hospital doors.

"Obito? What are you doing here?" Kakashi asked.

Obito looked up and him and leveled him with a bored stare that rivaled Kakashi's, "He's not awake."

"What are you talking about?"

"The man you're here to see," Obito responded with a raised brow.

Kakashi floundered for words, "What… I mean… How did you?"

"Come on," Obito said flatly, "I am not blind."

"Apparently I've been a little more obvious than I thought," Kakashi said scratching the back of his head.

"Well it doesn't take a genius to figure out where you go every day and night. You obviously care about this man, now what is it that you came here for tonight?" Obito crossed his arms and faced Kakashi.

Kakashi looked away, "I…I needed to see that he was awake."

"And did you?"

"No, he's resting again."

Obito just nodded absently, "So are you coming home now then?"

Kakashi stared at his former teammate in disbelief. He just dropped it? After he made Kakashi admit what he came for?

"What? You're not going to tell me I have to go back? You're not going to tell me I have to get my answers and fix whatever the hell is wrong with me? You're not going to tell me I need to figure out whatever it is I'm keeping to myself?" This was exactly the kind of emotional outburst he had been trying to avoid having an audience for. Damn Obito for being able to get a rise out of him all these years later.

Obito just stood there watching his roommate like he was discussing vegetables. Kakashi took in his indifferent look and let out a frustrated snarl and turned around, walking back toward the hospital without another word.

"I'll be waiting here when you are done," he called.

Kakashi wasn't sure he would ever actually admit to Obito how much he appreciated him in that moment. He made his way back to his Kouhai's hospital room with every intention of waiting until he woke up so he could see that he was awake. He walked in the door without hesitation, and looked down at an empty bed.

 _Empty… where did he go?_

The covers of his bed were thrown over, and the IV rack was gone. Kakashi whirled around and walked back out into the hallway. He tried to tell where the man could have gone, but he knew he would still be weak and barely give off a chakra signature. Kakashi closed his eyes and sniffed at the air, using his keen smell to try to figure out which way he went.

He turned down the hallway and slowly walked until he could almost feel him. Kakashi was standing just outside the bathroom in the hallway. He knocked on the door and received no answer, so he jiggled the handle. It was locked. He knelt down and took a small tool out of his pocket and began to pick the lock. It only took him a few minutes before the lock clicked and the door swung open.

Kakashi peeked in and felt like his legs were swept out from under him by what he saw. Tenzou was slumped against the wall by the sink, completely unconscious again. Kakashi's heart tumbled over itself in his chest at the feeling of happiness that he was indeed out of his coma, but it also ached for the state his Kouhai was in.

Kakashi bent to scoop the other man up into his arms. He carefully took the IV rack with him as he gently carried him back to his hospital bed. He placed Tenzou tenderly back into his bed and tucked his covers back around him. He stroked the brunette's hair softly before he leaned down and took advantage of him being unconscious and pressed his lips lightly to his forehead.

"Sleep well, Tenzou," he whispered.

Then he vowed to himself it would be the very last time that he uttered that name.

Kakashi walked back out of the hospital to see Obito still standing there waiting. He told Obito he got what he needed and his friend just patted his shoulder.

"You're going to be alright," Obito said with a smile.

"I know," Kakashi said and they walked home together in silence.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own anything Naruto or anything else mentioned in this fic.

This is another KakashixTenzou heavy chapter. The next one will be too. What will happen now that Tenzou is awake?

 _Chapter Eighteen_

"I can't take this damn bed anymore… can't I go home?"

Sakura was standing in Yamato's hospital room with a clipboard in her hands. It had been a week since he had woken from his coma and he was still recovering from being so low on chakra for so long. Sakura knew full well he shouldn't leave the hospital for at least another week, but she couldn't take it anymore. He was almost as bad as Kakashi was - and that was a feat.

"As much as I think it's a bad idea," Sakura said hoping he would change his mind. When he just stared at her expectantly she sighed and continued, "But I am going to go ahead and let you rest and I do mean _rest_ at home."

"Yes, yes of course," Yamato said as he held his hands out for the clipboard. His discharge paperwork had to be on it. He couldn't _wait_ to sign it and get the fuck out of there.

Sakura rolled her eyes and handed him the clipboard and a pen. He quickly scribbled a signature on the required lines, using his original name of Kinoe as a last name. As soon as he finished filling out the paperwork he handed the clipboard back to Sakura and swung his legs off the bed.

"Alright, your clothes are here," she gestured toward the pile of freshly washed clothing. "You are being escorted home by Naruto and Sai, no complaints," she cut him off when he was about to say he didn't need escorts. "Their job is literally just to make sure you get home without collapsing on the way there. When you get home you're to go to bed," Sakura demanded. "Any questions?"

"Nope, now get out so I can change," he said with a smile.

"Alright, alright," Sakura said and left the room muttering under her breath.

Yamato stood carefully and walked over to his clothes. He untied the hospital gown and quickly put his clothes on, sighing with happiness at the feeling of pants. He paused a moment when he realized he could feel his hair tickling his shoulder. He knew it had to have gotten longer while he was out, but he didn't realize just how much longer. He would have to make a mental note to cut his hair. He had just zipped his Jounin vest up when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," he called.

Naruto opened the door and walked in the room with Sai. They stayed next to the door and Naruto smiled, "Looks like you're about ready."

"Yeah, I just need to figure out what happened to my face plate."

"It's at your apartment," Naruto said. "We took it there while you were in your coma."

Yamato nodded and looked around, making sure there wasn't anything there he needed. He hadn't had anyone bring him much of anything in the hospital so there wasn't anything to really pack up. When he decided he was ready, he turned and walked toward the boys, "Let's go."

The three walked out of the hospital and toward Yamato's apartment in total silence. They had gotten halfway to the apartment when Naruto finally had to break the silence. "Are you glad to be getting out of the hospital Captain Yamato?"

"Absolutely," he said with so much relief in his voice it made both Sai and Naruto laugh. "I felt like I was going crazy in there. It'll be nice to lay in my own bed for a change."

"Well, you've been out for so long you'll probably have to get used to it all over again," Naruto said with a laugh. "When we first got back I was having trouble sleeping too."

"Did you have someone come stay with you?"

"Not at first, I actually went over and stayed with Avery for a few nights. There was a night in there that Sai and Sasuke came and slept over too," Naruto laughed at the memory of the night. "We crammed all four of us on Avery's bed. Sasuke fell off at one point in the middle of the night."

"Three guys and one girl sounds like a bad idea waiting to happen to me," Yamato said.

"Except that Avery would incapacitate and castrate anyone that tried anything," Naruto said which made all three of them laugh.

"Well that's true," Yamato said. He was sure Avery could be scary when she wanted to be. "Don't you think of her like a sister?" Naruto just nodded in response.

"Well I am sure it's good to get out, does everyone know you're out?" Sai asked, changing the subject.

"I think everyone that came to see me knows so there's that."

"So Kakashi knows?"

Yamato balked when he heard the name. His Senpai hadn't come to visit him once during his waking time in the hospital and he hadn't had the courage to ask if he had come during his coma. "No, he didn't come to see me… so I doubt he knows," Yamato finally admitted.

Naruto didn't respond. Hearing that was frustrating and he traded a look with Sai that told him his pale comrade also thought that was strange. Why wouldn't Kakashi go see his co-captain?

The slightly awkward silence hung between them as they walked the rest of the distance to Yamato's apartment. As soon as they got there, Yamato thanked the boys and wished them a good day and went inside. He inhaled deeply once he walked into his apartment. It still smelled like it always did, like wood and honey. He walked stiffly toward his bedroom and opened the door. It dawned on him that he hadn't been here in almost two months, yet his apartment didn't have any dust. In fact it looked spotless, like someone had cleaned it recently.

He brushed it off and figured that his team must have come and cleaned it for him. He unzipped his vest and stripped it off before he lay on his back on the bed. He stared at the ceiling as the feeling he had been holding inside the last week in the hospital crawled out of him. He was feeling abandoned, which made him feel almost pathetic. He couldn't figure out what he could have possibly done wrong to make Kakashi mad at him. It just wasn't normal for him to ignore him.

The feeling had started the day after he had woken; He had a dream that night that Kakashi came to him. He didn't remember much of anything about the dream itself except that when he went to leave Kakashi had pressed his lips to his forehead. He found himself wishing beyond everything he knew that it had been real; but when Kakashi had never shown up to even visit him, he knew it was all in his head.

He rolled onto his side and his eyelids fluttered shut. He still couldn't stay awake much longer than a few hours at a time and he knew he was getting close to the end of that chain. He sighed as his entire body relaxed and he fell asleep with tears threatening to break through his careful composure.

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The next day, Naruto and Avery had decided they wanted to have another hang out night. They told everyone they were going to meet up at the dojo again, which Lee was happy about because it meant it was getting used. He hadn't had much use for the small building lately and he was just glad it was of use to someone.

Everything had been set up by the time people started showing up. Music was playing for when no one was doing karaoke. There was plenty of snack food to munch on and Avery had managed to get a hold of a couple bottles of sake that she was pretty sure none of the Jounin leaders would take away after everything they've all been through. It wasn't really enough to do much damage with so she set them on the drink table and left it at that.

"Hope I'm not late," Yamato said as he approached the table where his team was sitting. Also at the table were Obito, Sasuke, and Asuma. He tried not to let his eyes linger on Kakashi too long as he looked around the table at everyone.

"Yamato! You made it," Avery said with a smile.

"How are you feeling?" Naruto asked as he sat down.

"Fine, I got a lot of sleep in my own bed and got myself something to eat a little while ago," he said.

"You should really still be in bed," Sakura scolded him.

"Sakura, you are the one that discharged him, you can't tell him what to do," Naruto said. "I can't imagine he wants to lie around and do nothing."

"Shut it Naruto," Sakura grumbled.

As much as he knew Sakura wanted him to stay in bed, he wanted to get out. The walk here had been a lot for him, but he was trying to convince himself it was only because he had just stood in the shower and then in front of the mirror trying to figure out what to make of his long messy hair. He ended up just combing it and letting it fall naturally. He hated the awkward stage between short and long. At this point, he was just glad to be out and about again; seeing all the familiar faces.

Yamato looked closer at everyone as his eyes wandered around the table. He had figured Sakura would be sitting as close to Sasuke as she could get, but she was sitting with Sai. Her legs were crossed and her hands were sitting in her lap as Sai had his arm draped across the back of her chair. Sasuke and Naruto were sitting next to each other across the table from them with Avery. Asuma, Obito, and Kakashi were sitting together at the other end of the table from where Yamato himself was sitting. Everyone was in casual clothing; trading out the usual Jounin and Chunin uniforms for t-shirts and jeans. The only exception being that Kakashi still had his mask firmly in place, attached to his tight fitting tank top.

It seemed to Yamato that he had missed a few things while he had been out.

"So are you going to ask Hinata to dance tonight?" Avery asked Naruto.

"Maybe, we had a decent time on our date the other night," he said as a warm pink color filled his cheeks.

"Oh you asked her?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, after you disappeared on me the other day," he said looking at his longtime friend and rival.

"Hn," Sasuke muttered. He looked at Sakura and she just shook her head with a sigh.

"Why do you always do that," the blonde complained. "You always make that damned noise and you don't actually talk it's so frustrating."

Sasuke just rolled his eyes at Naruto's little outburst and looked away, " _Dobe_."

" _Teme_ ," Naruto grumbled.

"You know, you two are almost amusing when you're not trying to kill each other," Sai said taking a sip of his drink.

Yamato was trying to take everything in, but he couldn't keep his eyes from flickering up to Kakashi every so often. His Senpai wouldn't even look at him, hadn't spoken a word to him. He was starting to worry the man was angry with him for whatever reason. He was currently chatting cheerfully with Asuma and Obito, his eyes crinkling in the way they always did when he smiled.

When Obito's eyes glanced over at Yamato, a blush crept up his neck at being caught. He looked away, though he didn't miss the soft understanding in Obito's eyes.

"So what's going on here," Yamato asked gesturing to Sakura and Sai.

Sakura and Sai looked at each other and shrugged, "We're kind of dating," Sakura answered.

"Kind of?"

"We've gone on a couple dates," Sakura said as Sai shrugged. "Nothing huge."

The reality of it was that Sai had been talking to Sakura about wanting to ask Ino out, but Sakura knew Ino had been secretly dating Choji. Ever since Choji figured out there was a jutsu that made him appear thin, he had been using it in order to date Ino. When Sai had seemed put out by Ino being in a relationship, Sakura had suggested they date so he would be calmer about it if she ever became single.

So it really wasn't a big deal to either of them.

They both seemed so nonchalant about it, it must not seem like a big deal to the two of them. Yamato sighed and looked back toward the other end of the table, right into Kakashi's eyes. He froze; he hadn't realized his Senpai had even been looking in his direction let alone right at him. The look in those eyes were cold, making him think whether coming out was a good choice or if he should have just stayed in bed.

The talking and chatter around them died down from the intensity of the stare down. Yamato forced himself to keep his eyes staring straight into Kakashi's frigid stare even though he wanted to look away. Finally Kakashi tore himself away from Yamato's eyes in what seemed to the mokuton user like anger, but could have been extreme frustration.

The table was silent for a long time, the chatter around the rest of the room and the music the only sounds heard by any of them. "Is everything alright?" Naruto asked, finally breaking into the tension around the table. His captain and sensei had never acted like this before.

Obito was the first to speak up, "Let's ask Kakashi. I'm sure you're just… alright… right?" he asked glancing at his former teammate with a flat expression.

"Shove it, Uchiha," Kakashi growled through gritted teeth.

"Sensei?" Naruto asked unsurely.

"What's going on?" Sakura asked.

"That is an excellent question," Yamato said, his voice cracking despite his best efforts to keep it steady. He took a deep, shaky breath as he tried to assess what was happening rationally. But everything just pointed to Kakashi's anger being clearly directed at him.

Everyone was watching Kakashi now.

"Nothing is going on," he said simply and turned away from the table. He needed to get away before something did happen.

"Is that what we're calling it now?"

"Obito! What gives?" Kakashi rounded on his friend. His heart was hammering painfully in his chest as he tried his best to avoid a certain brunette's eyes. He knew he couldn't keep up the cold gaze for long when he was looking into the sweet, chocolate brown eyes of his Kouhai. He just needed him thrown off, that was all.

"You know full well what gives, _**Hatake**_ ," Obito said calmly, if a bit suggestively pointed. He kept his voice and composure even so easily. "Sakura, you work at the hospital, right?"

"Yes, Mr. Uchiha."

"Please, it's Obito."

"Knock it off, Obito," the silver haired man snarled.

"Tell me," the Uchiha continued without paying any attention to his friend. "Didn't you think it strange that he never once visited his co-captain while he was awake?"

"That doesn't seem like you," Asuma said from where he was sitting. He glanced at his long time comrade. "You and Yamato have always been so-"

Kakashi whirled around and left without another word. They watched him storm across the room and slam the door behind him.

The entire room stood still for what seemed like eternity. The music was still playing, but all the chatter in the room died down with the sound of the door slamming. Eventually everyone went back to their conversations, everyone except the table Kakashi left in stunned silence. Yamato could feel tears stinging at his eyes but refused to let them fall from his eyes.

Obito stood and motioned for Yamato to come with him, "Come on. I'll take you home."

Naruto was about to protest, the poor man had been in bed so long and he hadn't been out for that long. But the look on Yamato's face made it clear he wanted to go. His captain stood slowly and walked around the table, walking passed Obito toward the door, with Obito trailing behind him.

"I'll see you all later," he said, careful not to let his emotions creep into his voice. He walked outside with Obito on his tail and began to walk toward his apartment. "You don't actually have to walk me," he muttered.

"I want to be sure you get there before I go confront Kakashi," he said calmly. He glanced at Yamato with the same soft eyes he had before. "He's not angry with you."

Hearing those words is what made the tears finally spill onto Yamato's cheeks. He felt so weak allowing himself to cry in front of Obito. "I didn't… that's not… I mean…" Yamato tried to deny that was what he was thinking but sighed in defeat. "How do you know?"

"I've been living with him while you've been out. I would know what he's angry with, and it isn't you." He never looked at him again, but with the way the Uchiha sounded so final, it deterred Yamato from asking anything else.

They were a block away from Yamato's apartment when Obito spoke again, "Has he spoken to you since you woke?"

"No, he hasn't."

"I see."

Once they arrived at Yamato's apartment, Obito bid him goodnight and left swiftly. Yamato walked inside and went straight to his bedroom. He was physically exhausted from being out, and the mental fatigue wasn't helping anything. He collapsed into be fully dressed, thinking about Obito's question.

Why would he ask if he'd spoken to Kakashi? Wouldn't he know if he hadn't come to visit him at all?

Or had he?

Yamato recalled his dream of Kakashi the first night after he woke from his coma. He recalled something else; he had not been in his bed when he had passed out. He had gone to the restroom, and been unable to make it back to his bed. Could it have been real?

No, there's no way. Kakashi had pressed his lips to Yamato's forehead. He would never have really done that, there was absolutely no way it had been real; it had to be a dream.

Yamato's eyelids became too heavy for him to bear, and he fell asleep thinking about Kakashi's lips pressed against his.

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When Obito got back to the apartment, Kakashi wasn't there; which meant he was too worked up and was still out walking aimlessly trying to calm down. Obito waited patiently for him to come back. After about two hours Kakashi finally walked into the apartment and strolled right passed Obito without blowing up.

"Must have been some walk," Obito said casually.

"What was that?" Kakashi demanded as he slammed his fist on the kitchen counter. "You weren't even listening to me! What gives?"

"Why don't you tell me what that was," Obito continued to remain completely calm. He rose slowly from his seat on the couch and cocked his head at his friend. "You haven't spoken a word to him in the entire week and a half he's been awake, and tonight you turn completely cold on the man. What are you doing?"

Kakashi turned away, of course Obito was right, "I'm distancing myself."

"Why? What happened the night you went to the hospital?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah, I know nothing happened as he doesn't even know you were there," Obito was starting to sound angry.

"How do you know that? Did you say something to him?" Kakashi asked as he walked around the counter.

"I walked him home. In his condition, he shouldn't be out walking alone. And with the way you left, he needed to go home," Obito said, completely unfazed by Kakashi's anger. "All I asked was if you and he had spoken since he woke."

Kakashi was at a loss for words. He still hadn't figured anything out about his thoughts and feelings in the last week. He still wanted to scoop his Kouhai up and protect him. He wanted to hold Tenzou and… _**No**_. He had to stop thinking of the man that way, and he had to stop thinking of him as Tenzou.

"I'm going to bed," Kakashi snapped and stomped off into his bedroom before slamming the door.

Obito sighed and walked to his makeshift bedroom. He slipped his shirt off before he got into bed and settled under the covers. Tomorrow was a new day; the day where he took matters into his own hands. He was going to go talk to Naruto and Avery tomorrow. He knew they were close enough to the situation to understand his frustration. Together, they needed to do something about this, before it was too late.

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"Can I ask you guys something?"

Avery had decided she couldn't keep it to herself anymore. She had to ask her friends about their captains' relationship with each other. She thought maybe if the group had also noticed the romantic pining from them without the help of her empathy, then there was definitely enough for them to do something.

"What's up?" Naruto said. The two of them were sitting at the dumpling shop with Sasuke, Sakura, and Sai. Sasuke was sitting with his arms folded, being silent as usual, while Sakura and Sai talking with Naruto before Avery had spoken.

"It's… Kakashi," she said looking around at their faces. When none of them looked surprised she continued, "And Yamato."

"What about them?" Sakura asked with no hint of confusion at all.

"Well, I was just wondering what you guys think about what's going on," Avery asked trying to phrase the question carefully.

"Honestly?" Sakura asked and when she nodded, Naruto shrugged with a sly smile.

"Sakura, Sai, and I all think there's something more than 'Co-Captains' going on between them," Naruto said in complete seriousness. "I started to notice they were very close when they were helping me train my rasengan."

"They did what?" Avery asked.

"That was before we met you," he admitted. "Kakashi Sensei was the one actually training me, but Yamato was there to help me with Kurama's chakra leaking out."

"That's when I noticed it too," Sai said.

"I noticed it when Kakashi was in the hospital before our first mission. I caught Yamato in there talking to him about us, and they seemed very close," Sakura said with her arms folded.

"So wait, you guys think they like each other?" Sasuke asked.

"Yeah, at least I do," Avery said. "I have felt the way Kakashi reacts to Yamato, and the other way around. Every time I have ever asked Kakashi about it, he changes the subject," she said looking at them.

"What are you all talking about?"

All five heads whipped around to see who was approaching them. Obito walked up casually and took a seat next to Avery. His charcoal eyes scanned over everyone sitting at the table before resting on Avery.

"Obito, what are you up to?" Avery asked, trying to sound casual. She wasn't sure how he would take them talking about Kakashi the way they were.

"I came to talk to you guys about what's going on between Kakashi and… Yamato?" Obito asked unsure of the mokuton user's name.

"Oh, you too, Obito?" Naruto asked his sensei's longtime friend.

"Me too, what?" Obito asked.

"We were just discussing that we think there's something romantic between them," Avery said.

"So do I," Obito said looking straight at Avery again.

Oh… _oh!_ It took Avery a minute to realize what he was saying, but Obito could see it too. And he was Kakashi's roommate, if anyone knew anything about what was going on, Obito was the one to have the best chance at even just a guess.

"Obito, what do you know?" Avery demanded, turning her body toward the man.

Obito considered the question. What did he actually know? He knew Kakashi had gone to see the man the night of his birthday, but that he didn't actually talk to him. Kakashi was acting strange, and it seemed like he wanted to put space between himself and the other man. What he didn't know was why.

"I know Kakashi went to see Yamato in the hospital after he left his birthday party," Obito told them. His audience members all looked at each other with raised eyebrows. Until then, none of them had thought Kakashi had gone to see him at all.

"Why doesn't Yamato know he was there?"

"Apparently he never saw Kakashi," Obito said trying to figure out what could have possibly happened. "I've been trying to figure that out. Kakashi had come out of the hospital looking frustrated after a while. I was there waiting for him, but he had said the man was still asleep. After very little more than me just standing there staring at him, Kakashi decided to go back inside until he got the proof I knew he needed; proof that he was awake. I don't know what happened after that," Obito admitted honestly. "He wasn't gone terribly long the second time."

"I have to tell you guys something," Sakura suddenly said.

"You _did_ see Yamato's paperwork!" Avery hissed as she read Sakura's emotions.

"Yes… I really am not supposed to tell you guys who it is, but I can't keep it…" she said looking around at five expectant pairs of eyes. "It was Kakashi."

"So… the whole time we were all concerned about what was going to happen with him because of who was going to choose what happened. And it was Kakashi the whole time?" Naruto asked.

"Yeah," Sakura replied.

They all sat in shocked silence for a few minutes before Avery felt the smile break across her lips. This was what she had been waiting for; some big revelation or proof there really could be something more between the two men. "We have to do something," she said looking straight at Naruto.

"Like what?" Sai asked.

"Well, Avery and I kind of already have a plan," Naruto said with a playful smile.

"You do?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, and I think it's time to put it into motion," Avery said coyly. She stood up and turned away from the table. "Naruto, you go get Yamato. I'll get Kakashi. We've only got one shot at this; take him to the training house. I've already set up a room there for our plan," she said mischievously.

"You have?"

"Yes, I wanted to do it today either way. Now get," she said shooing the blonde.

"Well why am I getting Yamato, I could convince Kakashi."

Naruto was met with a dead panned look from Avery that screamed "you really want to argue about this right now?"

Naruto backed away from the look Avery was giving him, "I'll get Yamato," he said before he took off.

"You guys head to the training house, but stay outside until we get there," Avery said and departed to go gather Kakashi.

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Cliffhanger! Sorry not sorry! 3

PLEASE REVIEW?


	5. Chapter 5

Hey ya'll. This is another KakashixTenzou heavy chapter. I hope you all got your permission slips signed for the feels-trip, as this chapter is heavy in the feels department.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. Because if I did these two would really be together. 3 love them so much

Reviews are love, please leave me some comments and let me know how you guys like it. or don't like it I'd just like to hear opinions!

 _Chapter Nineteen_

"Captain Yamato!"

Someone was knocking on the door. Knocking and yelling… so much yelling.

"Captain Yamato! Are you awake? C'mon it's noon man!"

 _Noon?_ Yamato thought as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and sat up. He looked at his alarm clock, which conformed that whoever was yelling at him through his entire apartment was correct. He sighed as he stood; swaying slightly from his still weakened state, and walked slowly to the door. He opened it to see it was Naruto on his doorstep.

"Geez, you look rough, you okay?" Naruto said taking in his Captains appearance.

"Yeah… what's up Naruto?" Yamato asked rubbing his face.

"I need help with something… maybe get changed first though," Naruto suggested. "I'll wait here."

After nodding in agreement, Yamato walked back to his room to change. He changed into his Jounin uniform and pulled his shoes on before he walked out of his apartment. He had his neck mask pulled up over his chin like normal, but he had left his faceplate on his bedside table. He ran his hands quickly through his hair, trying to smooth it back down before he went out to see what the energetic blonde needed.

"What do you need help with?" He asked Naruto when the blonde had started leading him somewhere.

"Ah, well it's better if I tell you when we get there. I'm no good with explaining things. It'll be much better when you can see it," he said with a reassuring smile on his face. Yamato trusted him and just followed him quietly.

They walked in silence through the village toward the training house. Yamato understood then that he must need some guidance on some training he was doing. Although Yamato wasn't sure he should be using he chakra yet, he would do his best to at least give helpful guidance or pointers if he could. Naruto lead him inside and around a few corners into a small room. It was completely white from top to bottom with no windows and just the one door.

Before Yamato could ask what Naruto needed or what they were doing, he heard Avery coming. She was talking to someone that sounded an awful lot like Kakashi. Yamato glared at his blonde teammate.

"What are you doing?"

"Nothing, you'll see," Naruto said with an innocent smile.

As soon as Kakashi rounded the corner into the room and saw Yamato, he tried to turn and leave.

"Oh no, you don't," Avery said as she shoved him into the room and shut the door. The door then disappeared behind her, locking the four of them inside the room.

"What's going on?" Kakashi demanded.

"You tell me," Avery responded, leveling him with a pointed glare. "There's clearly something you two need to talk about. Especially with all the weird behavior ever since Yamato woke up. And with what happened last night, you two definitely need to sit down and talk it out. So that's what this is," she said as she crossed her arms. She sounded like a stern mother and Naruto had to keep himself from laughing.

"This is ridiculous," Yamato said as he rubbed his forehead. He felt overly exposed without his faceplate. He was already feeling unsure about them locking him in here with Kakashi with how he'd been acting lately; especially when Kakashi looked angry like he did.

"You can't keep us in here," Kakashi challenged.

"Oh you think so?" Avery challenged back. "I think I can. If you haven't noticed, your chakra is being suppressed. You won't be able to leave; no doors or windows. Good luck."

"So what, we're just supposed to talk about whatever you two think we need to talk about," that got him an eyebrow raise from Avery, "with you two just staring at us?"

"Oh, no of course not, we're leaving," Avery said as she grabbed Naruto's hand. "Happy talking," and with that she and Naruto orbed from the room.

Both men let out an exasperated sigh, but did not even look at each other. Instead, Kakashi leaned against the wall on the right side of the room, while Yamato began to pace. Yamato realized he probably shouldn't be pacing as he still felt weak, but he just couldn't sit still.

Forty-five minutes had passed without a word from either Jounin. It was then that Kakashi had noticed Yamato's pacing had a precarious sway to it. Kakashi wanted to say something, make him sit down at the very least. He clenched his teeth against the protective instinct and closed his eyes, trying to make it go away. Another five minutes passed and Yamato still hadn't sat down or made any motion to slow his pacing down.

"You really should sit down," Kakashi said finally. He tried to make his tone sound detached and plastered his usual bored expression on his face. Although, inside he was a bundle of nerves ready to release and run to his Kouhai and take care of him.

"Why do you care?" Yamato hissed. His pain and emotion showed in his voice and on his face more than he wanted. He wanted it to seem like he didn't care about what Kakashi thought or said.

"I always take care of my team, Kouhai. That hasn't changed," Kakashi replied seriously.

Yamato ignored his Senpai's response and continued to pace. His pain was becoming more and more obvious with every step he took. His eyebrows were scrunched slightly and his shoulders tense.

"If you want me to relax so much; then let's get this talk over with," Yamato said trying to sound like he wasn't struggling.

"Alright… what do you want to talk about?" Kakashi asked cautiously.

"How about the fact that the man who has been my captain almost half my life didn't even come visit me in the hospital. Or that that same person has been acting cold toward me every time I've seen him since I've been out?"

"It's all nothing. Really, Yamato, you should sit," Kakashi said again. It had taken everything in him not to call him Tenzou. It was almost like it sent a pang through him to use the codename instead of the name he always called him. The use of the codename had the man whipping around so fast his head must have spun.

"Since when do you call me Yamato?" he demanded.

Kakashi tried to look unfazed by the question. "You've been asking me to start calling you Yamato for months," he said simply.

"But you never listened!" Yamato was almost shouting.

His frustration was obvious in the features of his face; though it was missing the flush of color that usually accompanied his irritation with Kakashi. He was so pale now. The coma had taken more than Kakashi realized out of the man. _Where is my Kouhai?_ Kakashi internally wondered.

"I can't just decide to listen now?" Kakashi asked with his unmarred eyebrow raised in dull interest.

"No… _You_ can't just decide to listen. _You_ never just _**decide**_ to listen. You're the most stubborn, obnoxious person I've ever met!" Yamato was shouting now. He had stopped pacing to face Kakashi but he was so… _angry_ now that he just felt like he couldn't stand there looking at him anymore. So he continued to pace.

"You must not know Naruto very well," Kakashi said clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"Ugh, why do you always do that?" Yamato growled as he faced him once more. He swayed again, he knew Kakashi was right. He really should sit down; but his frustration with his former captain was too much. "You always try to distract me when I ask you anything!" _Why do I even like him? He's so fucking aggravating!_ Yamato thought. "Just give me a straight answer for once, Sen-…" he paused momentarily, "Kakashi."

That stung. Kakashi had to fight not to wince at his Kouhai purposefully stopping from the usual use of the title he had given Kakashi all those years ago. He just shook his head and looked away; it was killing him to see the man this way.

Yamato waited patiently for an answer. When it was obvious he wasn't going to get one, he turned away from Kakashi and faced the wall behind him. His heart was breaking the more Kakashi pulled away from him.

 _I'm already suffering…_ he thought as he stared at the wall. _Might as well make it thorough…_ he took a deep breath as he prepared to bare his soul to the silver haired man behind him.

"I was trapped in the darkness for so long, I didn't actually think I'd ever escape it," he started with his eyes closed. He bit back the part of him that was screaming that this was a bad idea and continued. "I went on many questionable missions, even one to assassinate the Hokage, but I never questioned it. I did anything I was told without a second thought.

"Then someone came along in one of my missions and told me I could be more; that I was more, more than just a mission. They helped me to see that I wasn't just a mindless tool at someone else's disposal. Then years later, I was instructed to kill the very person that had tried so hard to help me see my true potential. I was filled with deceitful reasons why this person deserved to be killed, and once again, I was my mission.

"I was completely shocked when, once again, this person was trying to help me. Even though I was trying to kill him, he looked over every opportunity he had to kill me and even ended up saving my life," the mokuton user paused as his breath caught in his throat. He took a moment to settle down before he continued.

"I went back to Danzo empty handed; something I had never done before. He was livid, who knows what he would have done to me."

Kakashi could vividly see the memories passing in front of his eyes as he heard the man's words. He remembered waking in the old laboratory of Orochimaru's to find that Kinoe, his name at the time, had gone back to Danzo. His fear for the boy had been so strong he had gone against orders to go tend to his injuries and gone into the foundation with Yugao. Then he had gone a step further, breaking into the foundation to find the boy himself.

"I found myself, once again, being rescued by the very same person I had been instructed to eliminate. He broke into Danzo's jurisdiction just to try and save me," Yamato stopped and turned so he could lean his shoulder against the wall he had just been facing. "I joined the ANBU then, after Lord Hiruzen had come to stop Danzo's wrath on me and my rescuer."

Kakashi's mouth was dry. He felt like he couldn't breathe. Was this real? What was his Kouhai trying to tell him?

"Of course being in the ANBU was a better fit than the foundation. But I was also placed on a team led by the same person, the same man that had, countless times, saved me from myself. I respected him, more than he thought I should. He was always telling me I didn't need to call him Senpai. It made me smile because I always assumed he was just being modest. It wasn't until we were on a mission, just the two of us that I realized how deep his wounds were. When I had to try and coax him out of his nightmares."

There was another pang straight to Kakashi's heart. It had been after that mission that Kakashi had broken down and allowed him to call him Senpai. He was his Kouhai after all.

"We continued on together, becoming an unstoppable duo. We were frequently called on to go on missions just the two of us rather than the entire team. And much to my… innocent embarrassment; I felt like there was an affection that grew within me for my captain. My Senpai… I was naïve… never had I felt true affection before. I thought I had imagined it at first. It was so light, like the faintest whisper of a butterfly's wing. So I ignored the feeling. I thought maybe if I ignored it, it would go away on its own."

Kakashi suddenly felt like he _needed_ the wall behind him as a brace with the way his Kouhai's words were piercing him. Kakashi was having a hard time thinking of him as either Tenzou _or_ Yamato at this point. Yamato felt so wrong; but Tenzou was too painful. He couldn't allow himself to think of that name. He was trying to find something to say when the other man turned to face him. Anything he could have said died on his tongue with one look at his Kouhai's large brown eyes.

"But," Yamato said, his eyes staring straight through Kakashi's, "the feeling never went away."

Kakashi's heart was beating so fast he wouldn't have been surprised if his Kouhai could hear it. He watched as the other took a shaky step forward.

"I felt this feeling of affection grow. I was unable to stop it. It just grew and grew… and right when I felt I wouldn't be able to take it any longer without telling him, he left ANBU. I felt so many mixed feelings. On one hand, he wouldn't be around to unintentionally mess with my head anymore; though I was never able to kick the feeling that he wasn't just leaving ANBU… he was also leaving me."

Kakashi's heart sank. No one had ever told his Kouhai he had been dismissed. He didn't even make the choice to retire.

"I went on in ANBU without him, became captain, I was doing well. My feelings had even subsided without him around all the time. I was back to thinking I had imagined the whole ordeal. Then one day, years later, I was assigned to his team again. I knew it was coming at some point. My wood style having the ability to help Naruto with the Nine-Tails," Yamato paused as he swayed again. He had been taking slow, careful steps toward Kakashi as he spoke and at that moment he felt as though he was going to fall over. He regained his balance before he continued to speak. "What I didn't expect, was for every single wisp and surge of affection and emotion to come back. But it did, twice as strong and ten times faster that it came before."

Kakashi's gaze was boring right through him. He shivered seeing his Senpai's dark grey eyes so intent on him. However, Kakashi felt like he couldn't hold it any longer and turned away from Tenzou. He faced the wall and braced both his hands against it.

"Kakashi, what's my name?" Tenzou whispered.

"Yamato," the answer was breathless.

"What's my name," Tenzou repeated. When Kakashi said nothing, he stepped closer to him, "say it."

"No."

"Say it," he coaxed.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because I _can't_ ," Kakashi cried as he whirled around to face his now extremely shocked Kouhai. "I can't use _that_ name. Not when it means so much."

Kakashi was struggling to remain calm. Images of his Kouhai, lying unconscious in the hospital and in that dank cave came to his mind. Images of him stuck inside that rock with snakes draining his chakra, killing him. Kakashi swore to himself he would try to bury those memories, but they were assaulting his mind as he tried to reason with the only person he'd ever imagined giving his fucked up heart to. The only person he knew could handle it.

"We came for you," Kakashi started. He could tell his Kouhai hadn't known who had recovered him by the wide eyed look he gave him. Kakashi just nodded and continued, "Team Kakashi, plus Sasuke, we came for our own. I wasn't even supposed to go… It was the second time that I have ever disobeyed a direct order from my Hokage. And both times I have done that… they were both for you."

Tenzou could feel his heart squeeze at those words. He wanted to say something to him; that he didn't have to do that. He opened his mouth but Kakashi just raised his hand and effectively stopped those words.

"I thought you were dead," Kakashi admitted. "As soon as we found out you were gone, I thought we were coming to find a dead body. When I saw you it didn't change, I still thought you were gone. When Naruto said you weren't dead I felt relief slam through me like a train, but the condition you were in was still so unstable that I couldn't relax. We brought you back to Tsunade, and at first I thought we had saved you. I was able to remain calm until Tsunade said you were in a coma, not regenerating any chakra. A coma you could possibly never wake up from.

"I _did_ come to the hospital. I was there _every single day_ you were out, sitting there, begging for you to wake. The last day you were out I could hear the nurses talking about having to reach out to whoever was on your paperwork. They would have to make a decision about what to do with you. I couldn't sit there and listen to it, so I went home; and once I determined Obito wasn't home I began throwing things. I was just so _furious_ about the whole situation. I didn't even fully realize what I was doing until my apartment was a mess and I had to clean it up before Obito got back.

"The next day I had woken up calmer. I didn't go to the hospital right away, I felt like I needed to be alone. I stared unseeingly at the pages of the book I was pretending to read as I thought about the fact that it was the thirtieth day. The day they were going to decide what to do with you if you hadn't woken."

Tenzou swallowed hard. Tsunade had explained to him what the situation had been one of the days he had been awake in the hospital. He knew exactly what Kakashi would have thought about that because the first thing he had done was imagine what he would have thought had the roles been reversed. He would have been _pissed_.

"Naruto and Sasuke told me you were awake, and of course I was happy to hear it. I was relieved, but I knew I would need to see proof for myself. I decided to wait until later to go to see you though because I didn't know what my reaction to seeing you awake would be. I went after the birthday party Avery and Naruto threw for me. You were asleep again, peaceful as ever. I sat in the same damned chair I had been sitting in for weeks, waiting to see your eyes.

"I sat there for over an hour and watched, listening for anyone in case they were coming to check on you. I got frustrated, I felt like was being foolish so I left and walked outside to see Obito waiting for me. He knew I was there and what I was there for and he didn't even have to say much of anything to have me turning back around to come back to you. But when I got to your room, you were gone. I saw your empty bed and immediately began looking for you. I had only been looking about ten minutes before I found you, slumped against the bathroom wall. You had made it there, but not back."

Tenzou's heart was beating so hard and fast he felt he might actually burst. "I thought I imagined it," he whispered before Kakashi could continue.

Kakashi looked at him with slight shock, "imagined what?"

"You… I thought I imagined you carrying me back to my bed, or that it had been a dream," Tenzou bit his lip before he continued. "It wasn't you carrying me back that I thought couldn't be real. It's what you did after." There was a blush creeping up Tenzou's neck that he was relieved was hidden beneath his neck mask.

"You _were_ awake," Kakashi breathed.

"Barely," Tenzou admitted.

They were at a standstill then, each of them unsure of what to do next. They were both running through everything that had been expressed and admitted in the time they had been talking and both of them felt like they were somewhere between flying and drowning in the emotions they were being forced to feel.

It was Tenzou that broke the moment first. He stepped forward again, "Kakashi, what's my name?"

Kakashi looked away without answering. He couldn't think, he had admitted a lot more to his Kouhai than he had ever admitted to anyone, maybe even himself.

"Kakashi," Tenzou breathed. He was within touching distance from Kakashi now, "What's my name?"

"I can't," Kakashi moaned weakly.

"Please?"

How the fuck was he supposed to resist _that._ Kakashi took a deep, settling breath, trying to find the strength to tell him no. But he realized he couldn't do it.

"Tenzou," he breathed weakly.

Tenzou stepped forward, pulled Kakashi's mask down, and had his lips pressed to his the instant the word was off Kakashi's tongue. His eyes closed and he felt a thrill go through him when he realized Kakashi's lips were moving with his. Tenzou could feel one of the other's hands resting on his hip, while the other came up to cup his face.

He spun then, literally. Kakashi had spun him around so his back was pressed to the wall. The hand that had been on his hip was now braced against the wall above Tenzou's head while the other stayed on his face. His tongue hungrily swept across Tenzou's lower lip until he opened his mouth for Kakashi's tongue. Tenzou wrapped his arms around his neck, knotting his fingers in his hair and forgetting everything, because right now, all that mattered was that Kakashi was kissing him.

They were panting when they finally broke apart, a blush creeping over both their faces. _There's my Kouhai,_ Kakashi found himself thinking as he ran his thumb over his flushed cheek. He pulled his neck mask away from his face so he could place light kisses along his jaw line, loving how warm the flush that followed his lips felt.

Finally, he backed away and let Tenzou catch his breath. He turned to see the door had returned, though he had no idea how long it had been there. He looked back at Tenzou, who was leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, and had to keep the obvious, playful joy he felt seeing how he made his Kouhai feel from his face.

"The door is back, we should get you home," Kakashi said as he put his mask back in place.

Tenzou opened his eyes and nodded weakly. He took a step forward, away from the wall, and immediately stumbled. He felt Kakashi's arms holding him up before he could fall to the ground. He looked up into Kakashi's eyes and blushed again.

"Don't tell Sakura I admitted this, but I really should still be in the hospital," Tenzou said with a weak smile.

"Your secret is safe with me. I hate being in the hospital, as wonderful as Sakura is," Kakashi laughed.

Kakashi slung Tenzou's arm over his shoulder to support him as they walked toward the door. He opened the door to reveal the group that had set them up was standing outside the door waiting for them to emerge. Sly smiles were painted across Naruto and Avery's faces. Sasuke, Sai and Obito all just looked like they were along for the ride while still being glad the two worked their issues out.

Sakura, on the other hand, was shaking her head. "You really should still be in the hospital," she said taking in the way he was leaning on Kakashi.

"Did you guys hear all that?" Kakashi asked, ignoring Sakura.

"Tenzou?" Naruto and Avery said at the same time.

"That's a yes," Tenzou said with a short, clipped laugh.

"Oh, by the way Sakura, you shouldn't pick on the poor man. He just got out of the hospital, had a huge emotional conversation, _and_ what looked like a pretty awesome kiss," Avery said in a teasing tone.

"Ah, fuck… they watched us too," Kakashi said as he rolled his eyes while Tenzou turned bright red.

"Well how else was I supposed to know when I could put the door back?" Avery asked in between gasps from laughing so hard.

"How about not locking us in a room?" Kakashi suggested.

"Well how else was I supposed to get you to be honest?" She challenged. "You can glare at me all you want Kakashi. I can tell when you're lying."

The silver haired man just looked away while Tenzou regained his balanced enough to stand on his own. Kakashi looked at him and smiled softly, "I need to get him home. You guys can yell at me about not being honest later."

"No, wait," Tenzou said.

"Captain Yamato you need to rest," Sakura said as she crossed her arms in front of him.

"Wait, are you still Yamato? Or should we call you Tenzou?" Naruto asked.

"That's why I said wait," Tenzou said. He looked at Kakashi and let out a breath, "I want to go ask Tsunade about revoking my codename."

"Why was it placed in the first place?" Avery asked.

"Tsunade assigned it to me when I joined your team. She didn't want me to use the same name I had been using as an ANBU agent," Tenzou said.

"Do you want to go back to ANBU?" Kakashi asked him.

"No, not necessarily… but I am hoping that she'll be okay with lifting the codename anyway," he said softly.

Kakashi nodded and motioned for his Kouhai to lead the way, "Let's go talk to Lady Fifth then."

Tenzou nodded and waved at their team, plus Sasuke and Obito. Together they left the group, walking side-by-side in comfortable silence, but both still thinking about everything they had admitted to each other.

ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Come in," Tsunade called to whoever was knocking on her office door.

Kakashi and Tenzou walked into the office together. Tenzou was leaning on Kakashi until Kakashi deposited him into a chair across from Tsunade's seat. He then crossed his arms and stepped behind the chair.

"Hello, gentlemen… what can I do for you?" she asked wearily.

"I had a request, Lady Tsunade," Tenzou said politely.

"What is it, Yamato?"

"It's about my name… is there any reality where I can go back to Tenzou without going back to ANBU?" he asked quietly.

Tsunade sat back in her chair watching the two men in front of her. "I thought you liked the new codename," she said watching him.

"I never really had any kind of attachment to it. I follow orders,-"

"T might add," Kakashi threw in.

"And my orders were to go by Yamato, so I did," he continued ignoring Kakashi's interjection.

Tsunade closed her eyes for a minute and sighed. She reached into her desk and pulled out a file, "I know that your past is a touchy subject, and, to be honest, I didn't totally know how to bring this up to you." She placed the file down on the desk and pushed it toward him, "We might have found out who you are."

Tenzou's eyes widened and he froze in place. He warred with himself in his mind; one side of him wanted to know more than anything, but the other was worried about what it could mean. What if it changed him? Could it?

"It's up to you if you want to read it or not," Tsunade said gently.

Tenzou picked up the file and held it in his hands. His heart was pounding on his chest and he didn't know what to think about the fact that he might actually find out who he was. His identity was always something he had been in the dark about. He couldn't remember anything before Orochimaru's testing. He had been too young to recall.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he tucked his thumb under the flap, preparing to open the file. After a few minutes of just sitting there with his eyes closed, he still hadn't moved.

"You don't have to do this, Tenzou," Kakashi said softly.

"Yes I do," he breathed. He needed to know.

After another few minutes, Tenzou finally opened his eyes and lifted the file open. He read slowly over the page. It was a series of pages of what looked like Orochimaru's handwriting; research from his experiments.

"We found those in a hideout Orochimaru opened to us just after the war," Tsunade said. "It's the actual research from the round of experiments you were part of."

He kept reading through the first few pages without seeing anything that could be him. Everything was about the kids that had died and what ages they were. He turned to a page that had more writing on it than any of the other ones. It was almost too cluttered to read. He could make out different details. Male, age 3, brunette hair, large brown eyes… he kept reading down the page as it described the different stages of the experiment. This child had been under constant experimentation for two years.

And he was the only one that survived.

Tenzou kept reading until he realized it didn't say anything on the page about who the child was. He turned the paper over and saw there were notes on the back. The only one that caught Tenzou's attention was the one that gave him his answer.

 _Iburi clan – smoke kekkei genkai. Possible kekkei genkai key._ The note was written in a hasty scribble that was underlined and circled. It was followed by a few more quickly scratched notes about the smoke style chakra melting into Hashirama's cells and making the cells stronger, leaving only the cells. Tenzou felt his breath catch in his throat and his heart stop beating for a moment as he set the file down on the desk.

He actually was Tenzou.

It was all there, explained in Orochimaru's scribbled excited handwriting. He didn't understand though, he didn't think it was possible for him to actually have been Tenzou.

"How… why… how did Danzo?" Tenzou was struggling to put the question together.

"It explains later that it was looking like you weren't going to make it right around the same time the rest of your group had as well," Tsunade spoke slowly not wanting to freak him out more. "Orochimaru noticed you lasted longer though, but apparently when he came back to check on you after all the others had passed, you were gone. Danzo had taken you right out from under Orochimaru's nose."

"I… I actually am…?" he asked weakly.

"Yes… you actually are Tenzou of the Iburi clan," Tsunade said calmly.

Tenzou looked up at Kakashi. His Senpai's eyes were wide as they stared at him. The two of them had both met and seen the demise of the Iburi clan a long time ago, shortly after they had met the first time. The only remaining living member of the clan, aside from Tenzou, was his older sister Yukimi.

"Yukimi… she was right," Tenzou said, but it came out as barely more than a whisper.

"Yes, she was," Kakashi nodded.

"You guys know of the clan?" Tsunade asked.

They turned to Tsunade and Kakashi explained to her what happened on their mission when Orochimaru fled the village. They told her about him killing the entire clan and saving the girl, Yukimi.

"She had been totally convinced at the time that I was her brother. Now I am finding out she wasn't wrong," Tenzou said as he stared at his hands. "Up until I joined the ANBU I had been known as Kinoe. It was Kakashi that had convinced me to use the name Tenzou, and now I find out it really is my name."

Tsunade looked at the man in front of her with a sad smile. She knew this would be hard for him, but she was ultimately glad he knew now. It was a good thing for him, he could go on from here knowing who he was and he might even be able to find his sister someday.

"Are you still wanting to lift the codename then?" she asked him.

Tenzou's eyes shot up, "Absolutely."

She nodded, "Then we will lift the codename. Don't worry about having to go back to ANBU either; you can stay where you are. I don't think we have the same worries now that we did when we assigned the codename. I'll make sure the elders and everyone knows you're going back to Tenzou," she said and pulled the file back toward her. She wrote something on a piece of paper and stuck it inside the file and tucked it back in her desk.

"Thank you," Tenzou said louder now. He had gained some of the volume behind his voice back and he stood. He was still unstable on his feet though and Kakashi reached to support him.

"You need to get home to rest, Tenzou," Tsunade said using his new… old name. "You've clearly had a rough day already and you should still be resting."

He nodded and bowed as best he could, "Yes ma'am," he said and walked out of the room with Kakashi.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Yay they're in love! We all pretty much knew that though. What's gonna happen with everyone else?


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Last little bit of the KakashixTenzou situation. The rest will go into other characters and we will actually get to see a little bit of Avery again. The next few chapters are going to be about building more ships and therefore will be focused on a few characters at a time. There won't be as much Avery just yet.

As always, I want to know what you think so please leave me some reviews! I really really want to know what you guys think of it. I feel like it might make me a better writer to understand the way you as the readers think.

Thank you and enjoy!

 _Chapter Twenty_

The walk back to Tenzou's apartment was a silent one. Tenzou had overdone it and needed to rest, so the remaining strength he had was focused on getting to his apartment without collapsing on Kakashi. Once the two had arrived at his apartment, Kakashi had set him on his bed. He had gone to get the man a glass of water, but once he had returned he found his Kouhai completely passed out on top of his covers.

Kakashi smiled a little and carefully removed the man's shoes before pulling the covers up over him. He leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead, very much like he did when he put the man back in bed at the hospital, before he quietly left the room so he could rest.

On his way home, Kakashi thought about what the future would hold for him now that he and Tenzou had opened up to each other. What would it mean for their friendship? Would they date? Could they? They were both men, which was something Kakashi had never had a problem with. His true feelings for Tenzou were something he had been hiding from the world for so long, it hadn't even occurred to him to think about how that would be for the other man.

His surroundings interrupted his thoughts when he realized he was not home, he was at the hospital. He thought for a moment about if he knew anyone that was still here this long after the war, and he knew Gai was still here. He hadn't been well enough after opening the eighth gate to be released from the hospital at all. He shrugged and walked inside to go visit his silly friend and rival.

He turned the corner into the hospital room to see the taijutsu master sitting up on his bed, wearing a green t-shirt and black sleep pants instead of the normal jumpsuit or a hospital gown. He had been reading some book before he looked up to see who came in his room. The grin that spread across his face when he saw who it was could rival the grin Naruto had on his face whenever he was being overly optimistic.

"Well if it isn't my long-time rival, Kakashi," Gai said with a suppressed excitement to his voice. "To what do I owe this youthful and pleasant surprise?"

"Ah, I was just walking by and realized I hadn't seen you in a while," Kakashi said and pulled up a chair. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty terrible," he said with a laugh. "But youth is still with me, I will persevere through this tough time!" His voice was clear and strong even though he looked like he was still in a lot of pain. He still had gauze wrapped around his head and shoulders as well as a thick cast on his left leg. Kakashi knew Gai's ninja career was over, and he was going to have to be in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He had suffered too much damage from opening the eighth gate.

"You seem quite distracted, my friend. What has you racing your thoughts?" Gai asked with a slight tilt of his head.

"How do you always know when there's something wrong with me?" Kakashi asked with his eyebrow raised.

"You show much more emotion through your eyes than most people show on their entire faces," Gai explained with a slight smile. "Please, tell me what has you so troubled."

Kakashi sat back and considered what he could tell his long time friend. He wasn't… troubled exactly. He just wasn't sure what to expect now that he and Tenzou had opened up to each other. He had admitted things to the man that he had sworn he never would, and in return, had heard things from him he never expected.

Then he had to figure out how to express all of it to Gai. Kakashi had never been very good with expressing himself, or talking about what was bothering him, and Gai knew that. He crossed his arms over his chest and sighed.

"I spoke with Yamato," Kakashi said. He knew Gai wouldn't know him as Tenzou.

"Ah," Gai said softly. Even though he knew Kakashi had known the man much longer than he was aware of, the taijutsu master could tell the man meant a great deal to Kakashi. "And how did it go?"

"Well, the first thing you should know is he's no longer Yamato…" Kakashi said before he explained that the name had been a codename. He was going back to being known as Tenzou, which had been his name during his ANBU days, and had been recently confirmed as his real name.

Gai took all the information well, just nodding along. He crossed his arms over his chest, mirroring Kakashi's position, as he listened. When Kakashi was finished with his explanation, he just looked Kakashi in the eyes, "and the talk?" he prodded gently.

Kakashi sighed and ran his hand over the back of his head and neck nervously. He thought about what he could say to the man, but he knew Gai knew at least _something_ was going on with him and the mokuton user.

"The talk went… well I suppose," Kakashi said finally. He replaced his arm in its position across his chest. "There was a lot said that I guess I wasn't expecting."

"Then it was a most youthful experience! You must let this be the stepping stone to a new and wonderful connection between you both!" Gai said, loudly, as he excitedly held one fist in front of his face.

"Umm… yeah, alright," Kakashi said. He was always unsure of what to really say when Gai got into his overly excited modes of self proclaimed youth and whatever else. It was all nonsense to Kakashi, but he often found himself admiring his friend's effortless optimism.

"So what did you talk about? Come on, tell me!" Gai asked eagerly.

Kakashi thought about escaping the conversation. He was suddenly asking himself why he had come here. He had to have known he would get trapped talking about this.

"We talked about our… feelings," Kakashi finally admitted.

A wave of seriousness washed over Gai when he said that. He crossed his arms again and closed his eyes as he considered the next steps of the conversation. He knew if he wasn't careful, Kakashi would retreat and refuse to talk about it.

So instead of pushing, Gai decided on a different approach. "How has he been since he woke?"

"He's at home. He _should_ still be here, but I can't blame him for not wanting to be here. I hate spending any significant amount of time stuck here," he said.

Gai smiled a little; Kakashi had seemed to relax when Gai didn't obviously push the issue. Now he could start working in little points. "Has he been caught up to everything that has happened? He was out for quite a while," Gai asked.

"Yes, he's been caught up. He actually came out and spent some time with a group of us last night," Kakashi said without really thinking. "Avery and Lee have been using Lee's dojo to have little impromptu gatherings. They even made me have a birthday party."

"Yes, I heard about that," Gai said with a smile. He was glad people were making him take time for himself. "So last night was a good chance for him to get to see everyone then." When Kakashi fell silent, Gai knew something had to have happened.

Kakashi didn't say anything for several minutes. He considered just avoiding the question by trying to change the subject, but how was he ever supposed to get any advice if he didn't talk.

"Not exactly," he admitted sheepishly.

"What happened?" Gai asked.

"I… might have been a little harsh toward him…" Kakashi said looking away.

"Why would you be harsh?"

Kakashi sighed…

Gai was a lot of things.

Gai was over-the-top, entirely too optimistic, too easily excited, a little clueless, and very quick to forget a face. But if there was one thing the taijutsu master wasn't, it was dumb. He was actually fairly observant in anything that involved Kakashi. So it wouldn't surprise Kakashi that Gai knew about the feelings he had been harboring for Tenzou.

"I thought I needed to distant myself from him. My reactions to him being in a coma, or possibly dying were too strong. I needed to pull away," Kakashi said with closed eyes. He knew Gai knew that was Kakashi's go to method of pulling away from people. He'd used it against him before; right after Rin's death. "I didn't realize how hard it would be to pull away from him though."

Gai ignored the pang of odd jealousy he felt that Kakashi had a harder time pulling away from this man when he had done it to Gai with no qualms. They were supposed to be rivals! Gai shook it off and decided to focus instead on what Kakashi was talking about. He had him really talking, he needed to continue and not break the train of thought.

"Is that what pushed you two to have your discussion today?"

"Not exactly… We were tricked."

Gai looked straight at Kakashi when he said that, "Tricked how?"

Kakashi chuckled lightly, "Naruto and Avery decided we needed to talk it out. They deceivingly lead us to a room in the training hall, all white; chakra suppressed, and took away the door."

"Ah, so that's why you guys talked about your feelings," Gai said with a smile and looked back at the wall. Those kids could be really cunning and smart when they wanted to be. "How did it go? I know you already said it was good, but what happened?"

Kakashi looked at the floor, "Tenzou wanted to know why I had been cold. I continued to brush him off, until he started talking." Kakashi took a deep breath as his heart began to fill with a strange feeling. Warmth so intense it was like a fire in his chest, though it didn't hurt. "Tenzou admitted to a lot of things," he finally said quietly.

"Admitted?" Gai asked without looking up.

"Apparently… I wasn't the only one holding in feelings," Kakashi whispered.

The two were silent for a while. Gai wasn't sure what to say or ask, and Kakashi was lost in thought. The only sound that could be heard was the bustling of people in the hallways and their steady breathing. Gai finally looked up to Kakashi. His friend's eyes were distant, thinking about something faraway. Gai was just about to say something when Kakashi's voice came blurting out faster than the taijutsu master had ever heard it.

"What's going to happen now?"

Gai smiled a little and reached out to take Kakashi's hand, "I cannot answer that. I do not know what the youth of tomorrow has in store for you or Tenzou. The only one that can discover that is you, but you have to be willing to discover it."

Kakashi smiled at his friend, he somehow always knew what to say. "Thank you," he said and squeezed the other man's hand. He let go and stood then, waving a goodbye before he turned to leave.

"Where are you going to go?" Gai asked.

Kakashi paused in the doorway, holding the door open as he thought about it. "I'm going to go discover my future," he said and with one last crinkled-eyed smile, he left.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Pain; that was all Tenzou could feel right now.

All around him was a cold haze of darkness and he couldn't move. He could feel pain racing through his body as panic raced through his veins. He strained to look around him; strained to hear anything to give him any clue about where he was.

From what he could tell he was in a cave. It was dark and dank with some nasty water on the ground. The air smelled of old wet rock and mold and was stinging his nose with every labored breath. He tried to hear something, anything to give himself a clue of where he was. He had hung his head and was about to give up on trying when he heard the dead giveaway.

Snakes… he could hear snakes.

He tried to struggle against whatever it was holding him in place. He thrashed and grunted, trying to break free, but the pain was consuming. He continued to thrash until he realized that he wasn't hardly moving, and ever tiny movement he was making made pain surge through him.

He could hear someone coming, and he considered pretending to be unconscious, hoping whoever it was would leave him be or just get on with whatever they wanted. His vision, blurry from the pain and haze, saw the face of Kabuto swimming into view. He watched as Kabuto began to speak, but he couldn't hear the words. All he knew was he was trapped, and he was going to die.

All he hoped was that his village… his Senpai… he hoped for their forgiveness.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The talk with Gai had taken a lot longer than Kakashi had initially realized, and he decided it might be a good time to go check on the person he couldn't get his mind off of. He walked quickly up the steps toward his Kouhai's apartment that he had left him in a few hours before and knocked on the door.

No answer. He waited a few more minutes and knocked again.

When he still received no answer, he tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, so he let himself in. The apartment was dark, cool, and so silent that the door almost seemed to echo when he shut it behind him. He looked into the kitchen has he walked in and noticed there was a cup of instant ramen out on the counter with a pair of chopsticks in it and water, though it didn't look like he'd eaten any of it.

Curious.

He wandered toward his Kouhai's bedroom where he had left the younger man, and peeked in. There on the bed was Tenzou, passed out on top of the covers; his feet hanging off the bed with his head about a foot short of the pillow. That had not been where Kakashi had left him.

Backing out of the room, Kakashi made his way into the kitchen and picked up the ramen cup. Not wanting to waste the small portion of food, he poured it into a pan, and added some water to it; then he searched through Tenzou's fridge, silently searching.

He was totally immersed in his work, preparing a more complex soup than just the ramen, but using it as a base. He added some meat he had found, vegetables, and more flavoring. He had been so focused on what he was doing; he hadn't heard the rustling of his Kouhai in his room until he had heard the scream the man let out.

Kakashi dropped what he was working on and ran into the bedroom to see Tenzou was still asleep, thrashing around on his bed. He was groaning as if he was in pain, his eyes squeezed shut as he continued to move around.

He quickly approached his Kouhai and placed a hand on his forehead. He didn't want to just shake him to wake him, so he leaned in, lowering his mask, and pressed his lips to his temple. The other man stopped moving around as harshly, allowing Kakashi to move his lips to his ear. "Tenzou, wake up," he breathed as he nuzzled the sensitive skin below his ear.

"Kakashi," Tenzou mumbled as he stirred slightly. His eyes opened and he blinked a couple times as he adjusted to the light on in the room. He looked up at Kakashi's face as his Senpai watched him warily. "Kakashi," he said again, with much more understanding and comprehension, "you really are here."

"Yes, I came to check on you," Kakashi said with a small smile before he replaced his mask.

"What is that… amazing smell?"

"Dinner," Kakashi said and stood.

"Wha-?" Tenzou asked in shock. His Senpai… was in his apartment… cooking?

"Come on, you will never get better if you don't eat properly," Kakashi scolded lightly with a wink before he disappeared into the other room.

Tenzou carefully got to his feet. He straightened his clothing quickly before he walked out. The smell grew stronger as he went and he timidly sat down on one of the stools at the counter in the small kitchen. He watched the strong back of the man in his kitchen as he moved around, then turned with a bowl in hand and placed it in front of Tenzou.

"What did you make?"

"Well, I didn't want to waste, so I put the instant ramen into a pot and added more water to it as well as other ingredients. You really do need more than just instant ramen when you're recovering, Kouhai," Kakashi said. His tone was like they were back in ANBU, Kakashi taking on the role of the caring but still somewhat stern captain; though Tenzou wasn't generally the one that needed to be scolded back then. Usually it was Kakashi that wouldn't follow orders whenever he was injured.

With that amusing thought in mind, Tenzou picked up his chopsticks and decided to humor his silly Senpai's wishes. He gathered a bite and chewed slowly, pleased to find that it was actually edible. Not only that, but it was good. Tenzou made the mental note to add cooking to the list of things his Senpai was unreasonably good at.

Tenzou continued to eat slowly, completely aware of Kakashi's watchful eyes on him the entire time. He blushed lightly when he looked up and met his Senpai's eyes before quickly looking away. He was so unsure of their situation. Everything had flipped so fast, all it had taken was the one conversation for him to be here with him when he woke up.

"What is putting that look on your face?" Kakashi asked, his eyes alight with amusement.

"I don't know what you mean," Tenzou answered stubbornly as he took another bite.

"Now look who's stubborn. You know full well what I mean," his Senpai said as he cuffed him lightly in the head.

Tenzou gave him a disgruntled look before he looked back down at his soup. "I just… I guess I'm just trying to figure out what is going on with us. Everything turned so fast, I feel like my head is spinning every time I try to understand it," he admitted.

Kakashi's eyes became very serious hearing the younger man's words of uncertainty. "I know, Kouhai. I'm sorry for that."

Tenzou pushed his bowl away. He only ate half of what Kakashi had given him, but he was done at this point. "Senpai, why…" he started but stopped when Kakashi reached over to pet his unusually long hair.

"I wasn't strong enough to tell you how I felt, Tenzou," Kakashi said softly. He continued to play with the man's shoulder length hair. "I didn't know that the feelings would be returned, or what your reaction would be."

Tenzou gasped a little as he realized he was holding his breath. He sighed as his Senpai's fingers ran through his hair. All the uncertainties and concerns of what was happening were fluttering away with every touch.

Then the feeling was gone and Tenzou had to refrain from pouting.

"Tenzou, I really hope that you can forgive me for the way I was to you. I was cold and harsh, you don't deserve that," Kakashi said with emotion Tenzou had never seen shining in his dark grey eyes.

Large brown eyes swam in happy tears as Tenzou smiled at him. That smile could literally make Kakashi's heart stop beating. He reached out and touched the mokuton user's cheek lightly as he nodded.

"Of course I forgive you, Senpai," Tenzou whispered.

Kakashi smiled almost sadly, "I don't deserve you."

Tenzou shook his head and held his Senpai's hand to his cheek, "You deserve happiness, Kakashi. And I would be honored to be the one to give it to you."

Kakashi smiled then and walked around the counter that had been separating the two. He reached his hand out to take Tenzou's, ready to take the younger shinobi back to bed.

"You need your rest," Kakashi said.

Tenzou nodded and stood, walking with him back to his room. He got slipped into his bed, under his covers, and allowed Kakashi to tuck him in. He was still holding onto Kakashi's hand as he lay there under his blankets. He didn't want him to leave.

"Will you stay?" he asked sheepishly.

Kakashi smiled and leaned down to kiss Tenzou's forehead, "Only until you fall asleep, then I have to go."

Tenzou nodded happily and closed his eyes. He felt Kakashi's hand in his hair again and sighed as a content feeling ran through him. They weren't perfect by any means, but now they had a chance. They had a real shot at happiness together; something Tenzou had wanted since he met the older shinobi.

That was the happy thought that fluttered around his mind as he slipped into sleep again.

 _This one is good for chakra preservation… but this one is better for rest…_

Sighing, Sakura put the two small bottles down and looked for something else. She wasn't really sure what she was looking for. She still had so many patients at the hospital that were struggling to recover, she thought maybe if she made a good rejuvenating tea, it might help some of them. That and the truth was Sakura loved the herb shop. It always smelled so good.

It had been almost a week since the group had cornered Tenzou and Kakashi into their conversation, and she hadn't really checked up on how they were doing. She also didn't see a whole lot of Kakashi wandering around the village though, so she assumed he was probably spending more time with the formerly mentioned.

She gave up on her search for now, deciding she would do some more research on what kind of things she might need to make the tea she was aiming for and paid for what she already had that she knew she needed. She thanked the woman at the counter and walked out with a cheery wave.

Walked out and right into something very solid.

"Oh crap," she muttered as her bag fell, spilling all the contents everywhere. She was thanking her lucky stars she didn't hear any of the little glass bottles break though; she didn't want to have to go buy them again.

"Let me help you," the deep voice of the person she had run headfirst into said.

Sakura looked up, startled by the unexpected voice. Green eyes met fathomless onyx, and held there a moment before Sakura scrambled to recollect her bags contents.

"Here," Obito said, handing her the things he had picked up for her. He watched the warm smile she had on her face as she took them and placed them in her bag.

"Thank you," she said cheerfully. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you! I don't generally make a habit of running into people."

"That's alright," he said, seeming to simply wave off the incident dismissively.

"So… how is everything, Obito?" She asked pleasantly. Sakura was good with making gentle conversation and could usually get it to not sound too forced. "I bet you've seen a lot more of Captain Yamato… er… Tenzou… now that he and Kakashi have had their… talk?"

"Yes," Obito said rolling his eyes. "He's over quite a lot. Though Kakashi does go to his place and leave me alone as well on occasion, so I can't really complain. Our apartment is bigger than Tenzou's however."

Sakura smiled brightly, "Well you're a good friend to not let it bother you."

Obito shrugged, "I guess? I mean it is giving me a chance to be around someone other than Kakashi. Tenzou is much less sarcastic." He explained calmly, and nonchalantly, as though he were simply comparing two colors instead of his best friend and his new boyfriend.

"Is he resting well? He should still be resting more than anything else," Sakura asked, nurse mode switching on.

"Yes, Kakashi doesn't let him do anything he doesn't need to do. It's actually incredibly amusing watching Kakashi play mother hen to him. It's very out of character for him, but also so very predictable at the same time."

"Well he does seem to really care about Tenzou, so I guess it should be expected," Sakura chuckled. She was glad to hear Tenzou was finally resting well.

Obito was quiet for a bit longer than he should have been for casual conversation. He still wasn't very good at all of this. He had been out of practice for so long, and it showed when anyone spoke to him one-on-one. Luckily the only person that generally did that was Kakashi, otherwise he had a group and he could just input a comment here and there when he felt it necessary.

"Oh, ah… so how are you doing?" he asked hesitantly. That seemed like a good thing to go with; then he wasn't just the older man standing there with a young girl and staring at her " _creepily_ " to the eyes of anyone who might pass by. People still had a habit of looking at him strangely due to part to the injury on his face. The scars would be there for the rest of his life, and although he had made his peace with them, it seemed that not everyone was so open minded when it came to cosmetic disfigurations.

"Oh, I'm well, thank you!" she said with the same bright smile; her clear green eyes sparkling. "I was just looking for something that would make a good, healing tea for some of the people still in the hospital. I think I need to do some more research though. And Sai and I are supposed to go on another date tonight, so maybe I'll have him help me research," she said as she paused to think a moment.

Obito just nodded absently, the mention of the extremely pale boy seemed only to make him irritated for some reason. He was thinking of something to say in response to the pink haired girl's happy babbles when they were interrupted by a certain blue haired witch.

"Hey Sakura," Avery called as she approached them.

"Avery! Hi!" Sakura said and hugged her friend. "What's up?"

"I was just curious if you knew where I might be able to find Naruto," she said.

"Nope, I haven't seen him," Sakura said shaking her head. "He's not at home?"

"No, I wanted to talk to him about this mission I'm supposed to be going on tomorrow, but I can't find him," she said with a huff of slight frustration.

"He could be out training," Obito offered. "I've seen him out in the fields with that Sarutobi kid."

"Oh that's a great idea! Thanks Obito," Avery said and patted him on the shoulder before she left. "Bye!" She called from over her shoulder.

The two waved goodbye before turning back to each other. Once again, onyx and emerald eyes met and held for a moment before breaking apart.

"I should go get these herbs back to the hospital and make my rounds," Sakura said.

"Yes of course," Obito agreed.

"It was nice talking to you," she said with a smile before she hurried up the path.

Obito nodded and waved a little idiotically behind her. The action made him want to smack himself, almost feeling like his old self. He sighed a little and brought his hand back down to his side calmly where it belonged before he started walking to nowhere in particular, his mind focused only on thinking about glittering green eyes.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

A heavy sigh was exhaled from the raven-haired man as he sat in the dumpling shop sipping his tea, trying to focus on anything except what was actually on his mind. He noticed it was getting colder as fall progressed, but it wasn't uncomfortably cold yet. He sat there with his arms folded across his stomach and his legs crossed, so lost in thought he didn't see the girl that approached him.

"Sasuke… Sasuke… earth to Uchiha," Avery called to the raven haired boy. She shook her head and sighed before reaching over and poking him in the middle of his forehead.

Sasuke flinched back a little blinked a few times. It was like the sound of a single drop of water pin-dropping in the back of his mind and breaking him from the thoughts he had been buried so deep in. The sensation he had felt to the middle of his forehead was so unexpected, and so hauntingly familiar, that it caught him off guard. He blinked blankly up at the blue haired girl in front of him, only then registering who was standing in front of him. A bittersweet feeling somewhere between relief, and complete sorrow washed through him at the realization.

"Ummm… are you okay?" she asked.

Sasuke blinked a few more times before he figured out how to respond. "Oh, yeah…" he said distantly. "Um, I'm sorry what did you say?"

"I asked if you would mind if I joined you," she said as she stood there with her own cup of tea in her hand.

He shrugged and gestured to the seat across the table from him. She smiled gently and sat down. "What's up?" he asked with a cocked eyebrow as the blue haired girl crossed her legs.

"Well, I was looking for Naruto, but I can't find him," she said shrugging. She could have sensed for him, but she figured she would see him later, they did still live super close to each other. "Then I saw you, and I know we don't really know each other very well yet. I've been considering asking you to lunch a couple times."

Sasuke nodded absently. It wasn't a bad idea actually; she was close friends with just about everyone he knew. "Alright," he said with a sigh. This meant he actually had to talk to someone; a thought that made him think back to the old days when he would isolate himself away and sit with his eyes closed and his hands folded in front of his mouth so that they all knew not to disturb him.

Avery smiled as she took in his appearance. His eyes were deep, dark, onyx in color, but not cold; at least not currently. She had seen those eyes cold as ice before, when they were stabbing daggers into Naruto. That was before the war though, and she knew that a lot had happened since then.

Her past experiences with him weren't what drew her to him now, but she couldn't quite figure out what it was that did attract her so much. It wasn't so much that she felt he was attractive, it was just that something about him made her wonder why he seemed so… familiar. Why she felt like she could be comfortable with him. Why she felt like she had been close to him.

"Did you have anything in mind to talk about?" he asked her, breaking her away from her thoughts.

Avery blinked a couple times and shook her head, "Not really. I apologize, I was a little spacey there for a second," she said. "So are you enjoying being back in the village?"

"Surprisingly, yes I am…" he said honestly. It was much more enjoyable being back in the village than he had anticipated it to be.

"What made you decide to come back? The last time I saw you, you wanted to kill just about everyone," she said taking another drink.

Sasuke sighed and looked down at his cup. He considered his answer carefully, wondering what it really was that turned him back. "I decided I needed to hear what happened from the minds of the people that created this village. I had a long discussion with the past Hokages. They enlightened me," he said.

She nodded softly, "What's been the best part about being back?"

"Seeing everyone... and _really_ seeing them. It's actually really… _nice_ to see everyone without the heavy weight of anger and hate on my heart," he said. His thoughts flickering to each of his friends, including the new ones like Sai. He had spent a lot of time with Sakura lately, getting to actually know the girl. And if it wasn't for the fact that he knew who his true feelings were for, he might have given her a chance.

Avery smiled; her empathy was pulling all the warmth and happiness he seemed to be feeling since he had been back in the village. His emotions were so much warmer than his cool exterior let on. He seemed like he wanted everyone to still believe he was detached and uninterested, when in truth, he wanted to get to know everyone. For what would be the first time from what she could tell.

"What about you?" he asked genuinely. "What do you enjoy about the village?"

She opened her mouth to answer, but nothing came out. No one had asked her specifically what she liked about the village, just mostly if she liked being there. She smiled at him, her own feelings tingling in her heart.

"I like the people. The people I have met in this village… they've all been so good. Some more than others even, but it has been really amazing to meet so many passionate people," she said honestly.

He nodded slightly. He still had some, reservations about certain things that involved his brother, but he knew it wasn't the entire village's fault. In all honesty, she was right. The people of Konoha were extremely compassionate. It was something his mother had always shown him; something that was engrained into his brother from childhood.

Her smile only grew as she watched him. She leaned forward on her elbows and rested her chin in her hands. "So tell me, what is something that always makes you smile?"

Her question surprised him. It was a question no one had ever asked him, so he found he actually needed to think about it. The truth was there was only one thing he could think of that really always made him smile; or rather, one person. He was trying to find another answer when his original answer came along and distracted them both.

"Hey Avery," Naruto said as he approached them.

"Naruto, I've been looking for you," she said, completely distracted from Sasuke now.

"You look like you're talking to Sasuke to me," he copped back sarcastically.

"Ha ha, you are so funny," she rolled her eyes at her obnoxious friend. "I needed to chat with you about this mission I'm going on. It's similar to the last one you went on."

"Okay, no worries. But can we do it later? I'll come by tonight," he suggested.

"Why what are you up to now?"

"I was looking for Hinata, have you seen her? I'm going to ask her to make our… relationship, I guess… official or whatever," Naruto said as his cheeks flushed pale pink.

"Oh I see," Avery teased with a laugh. "Better go find your girlfriend then."

"Oh shut up. I'll come over tonight okay?"

"Alright but not too late Uzumaki, I have to get up early."

"Yeah, yeah," he brushed her off and walked away.

Avery turned back to Sasuke with her teasing smile still in place, but she froze when she saw what she turned back to. Sasuke's eyes had melted into a particularly intense stare that rivaled…

 _Wait a second._

It was almost like she was looking at him now. It had totally slipped her mind that the boy in front of her was indeed, the brother of the man she had been having dreams about. No wonder he reminded her of Itachi. However, it wasn't until she saw the intensity in the near glare he had on his face in that moment, that she had really seen just how similar to Itachi he could look.

"Sasuke?" she asked hesitantly.

"I have to go," he said suddenly standing. "Please excuse me," he said without looking at her and he strolled off in the same direction Naruto had gone. His cold, forgotten tea was still sitting on the table in front of her.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N : another character and relationshippy building type chapter. next chapter will be smutty and inappropriate lol.

Disclaimer: I own nothing  
also please review! I really want to know what you all think!

 _Chapter Twenty-One_

The sun was setting on the day, and Naruto was starting to wonder if the Hyuuga girl he was searching for was not in the village. He had literally looked everywhere he could think of for the shy, pale eyed girl with no results. He didn't think she could be on a mission; she had just gotten back from one recently.

That was when it occurred to him that he hadn't checked the bathhouse. He knew she liked to soak after a mission. He made his way toward their bathhouse in the village, with absolutely no intention of peeking for once, to see if the girl was there.

When he arrived at the bathhouse, he walked around toward the fences, to see if he could shout loud enough for someone to answer him if Hinata was there. He didn't really want to get accused of peeping, but he needed to know if she was there so that he could know if he should look somewhere else, or wait.

He was about to the girls' side when a movement caught his eye. A slight squint of the eye told him the movement that had caught his attention had been a person. Someone was leaning casually against the fence of the bathhouse. His arms were crossed, black hair spiky as usual, and obsidian eyes focused intently on Naruto.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here?" Naruto asked. His confusion bled into the question as he approached his longtime friend.

Sasuke didn't answer right away. He hadn't gotten this far with his plan to distract the blonde. He just knew he didn't want him to ask the Hyuuga girl to be his girlfriend. He shrugged after his few moments of thoughtful silence and kicked at the dirt.

"I like to find quiet places to think," he said lamely. He mentally kicked himself, not liking the answer that came out. Though the blonde was such an idiot sometimes, it wouldn't surprise him at all if he bought it.

"Oh, that's pretty cool. I guess the bathhouse would be a pretty quiet place," he said with an understanding shrug.

"Hn," Sasuke made the sound he always made when he wanted to keep himself from having to talk too much. Sasuke was prone to blurting something he shouldn't say out if he didn't remain stoic and quiet.

Naruto rolled his eyes and walked by his friend. "Well, I won't bother you too much. I am just looking for Hinata," Naruto said with a smile.

Sasuke watched Naruto pass by him, and still hadn't thought of anything to distract him from his task. Without thinking, Sasuke did the only thing that came to his mind that he figured would be sure to pull the blonde's thoughts away from his task.

Sasuke gripped Naruto's wrist and yanked him back toward him. The second he got within range, the raven pushed Naruto's shoulders back against the same wall he'd just been leaning against. He placed his hands on either side of the blonde's head, trapping him there against the wall. His breathing was coming in heavy gasps from the close proximity, and he wondered why he had thought this of all things was a good idea. His onyx eyes stared intently into the beautiful blue eyes of his blonde teammate as they stood there in stunned silence.

Neither of them moved for a few minutes. They just stood there staring into each other's eyes. Finally, Sasuke backed away from Naruto. Without a word he turned on his heel and walked swiftly away from him.

Naruto's mind was spinning. _What the hell just happened?_ He thought as he stepped away from the wall. He looked in the direction the Uchiha had disappeared in with a slight frown across his lips. With a heavy sigh, the blonde turned away from the direction the raven had gone, heading toward his apartment; the task of asking Hinata to be his girlfriend completely forgotten.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Good to be back," Avery said as she stretched her sore limbs. She and Naruto were just returning from their mission after four long days. Naruto hadn't originally been assigned to the mission, but one of the guys that had been assigned ended up getting a stomach flu and Naruto had been called last minute to go with.

"Seriously, but I'm totally starving," he complained as he held his stomach. "We should get some ramen."

"Yeah I could go for some ramen," Avery said smiling.

"Yes! You're always up for ramen! You're like my ramen buddy," Naruto said with a huge cheesy grin on his face. It was the kind of look the blonde got on his face that made Avery roll her eyes and cuff him on the side of the head affectionately.

"Come on you dork," she said with a laugh.

Once they had gotten to Ichiraku and placed their orders, Avery had laid her head down on the counter. She was exhausted from the mission, even though it hadn't been particularly difficult or anything. It was just one of those kinds of missions that was physically exerting and she was feeling it.

"You know Avery, it kind of defeats the purpose of ordering food if you fall asleep before it gets here," Naruto teased as he watched Avery's eyes flutter closed. She reached over and punched him in the side without opening her eyes, earning a loud squawk of surprise from her blonde friend.

"Hush, let me nap," she mumbled at the loud volume. She kept her head down and eyes closed until she heard two bowls get set down in front of them. She picked her head up to see that Naruto was already scarfing down the steaming noodles. She just rolled her eyes at him and picked up her own chopsticks and beginning to eat.

They were just about finished eating when they saw Hinata pass by, talking with Neji. The two Hyuuga were chatting happily about something that seemed to please the both of them, and seeing Hinata made Naruto remember that he had wanted to ask her to be his official girlfriend.

And what had happened the last time he tried.

"What's wrong?" Avery asked, feeling the emotional shift in her friend. She tried not to pry in her friends' emotional lives too much, but it proved to be hard when she just wanted to help them. "Is it Hinata? Didn't you go to ask her to be your girlfriend before we left?" Avery asked.

"I did, but I never got to the part of asking," he said looking down at his bowl.

Avery looked at him in shock, "What do you mean you didn't get to the part of asking?"

"I got a little distracted," he admitted.

"By what?" she asked curiously.

"I'd rather not say," he said.

"Well she's right there, why not ask her now?" Avery said gesturing toward where Neji and Hinata were standing. She figured they must have been waiting for someone to join them like Tenten.

Naruto looked over his shoulder at the two Hyuuga standing just outside the shop across the road from Ichiraku. "I guess you're right, I could go ask now."

"Go on, there's nothing stopping you," Avery said encouragingly.

Naruto nodded a little and stood from his seat at the counter. He began walking toward the Hyuuga cousins, thinking about what he could say to interrupt as politely as possible. He was thinking so hard about the task at hand that he didn't realize he had run head first into Sai.

"Woah, careful! You have to watch where you're going," Sai said teasingly as he caught Naruto's shoulders.

"Oh, Sai hey! How are you?" Naruto asked. He hadn't seen his teammate in a few weeks.

"I'm glad I'm done with the particular string of missions I've been on," Sai said truthfully. Sai had been instructed to go back down into the foundation to see what was happening down there without the war. They still hadn't totally recovered from losing Danzo, but it seemed that a few of the senior members of the operation had created a small leadership team. They were trying to keep up with what kind of missions they needed to be sending people on and trying to interpret Danzo's strange notes and files.

"Yeah, Sakura said you were on a rough set of missions," Naruto said as he scratched the back of his head. "I'm glad you're done though," he said.

"Thank you. You just came back from a mission too right? How was that?" Sai asked.

"It was fine. I'd love to tell you more about it but I have something I was going to go do, so if you'll excuse me," Naruto said.

"Well we should get lunch tomorrow or something then," Sai said. He hooked an arm around Naruto's shoulders.

Sai had never really been much for touch or trying to be buddy-buddy like this and it was confusing Naruto. He smiled and nodded in agreement, but he ducked out from under Sai's arm. They ended up sending a couple of playful punches at each other, and Sai eventually smiled and said goodbye.

However, when Naruto turned back around, Hinata and Neji were gone.

Naruto sighed in slight frustration. He shrugged it off, and turned away from where he had been heading. As he turned, his eyes caught a glimpse of pitch black hair with matching eyes. He noticed Sasuke standing a ways down the road with Sakura. After a moment, they were joined by Sai.

Suddenly Naruto wasn't sure Sai wasn't trying to stall him.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"It's been a long time since we've been in this village," the redhead cloud ninja sighed as she and her mission partner approached the gates of Konoha. The last time she had been in the Leaf had been when Master Bee had been captured by Sasuke. At least that was what they had thought at the time.

The redhead turned to look for her traveling buddy. He had stopped a few paces behind her, his usual lollipop stick between his lips as he looked lost in thought. She sighed and crossed her arms; she knew what that look meant.

"Omoi, come on, we have a message to deliver you know?" Karui snapped at her teammate.

"I know, I know," the white haired man said absently. His eyebrows furrowed together as he walked forward until he was standing with Karui. "Karui, aren't you the least bit nervous about being back here? I mean… what if when we get in there, they remember how tense it was last time. Then what if they say that the war meant nothing! Then they might throw us in jail! We'd be trapped there with no way back to our home! No one would even know where we were!"

"Shut up," she said as she smacked her teammate in the head. "You and your worrying are getting on my last nerve! Besides, we weren't really here with bad intentions last time, just relax." She walked forward toward the gate and met with the two ninja standing guard.

As soon as she explained who they were and why they were there, they let them through. She bowed gratefully to the helpful leaf ninja and led the way toward the Hokage's office. They would be staying overnight in the village before they made their trip back home.

After the meeting with Lady Tsunade, they went in search of something to eat. Karui had begun to ask Omoi what he might want to eat, but she changed her mind, knowing it would end up with him making a big deal out of everything. It was the norm with the strange cloud ninja and she never really understood it.

They ended up at the dumpling shop. Each of them had ordered a cup of tea and a few orders of sweet dumplings to fill their bellies until dinner time. As Karui sat at the table, sipping her tea, she noticed a couple walking into the dumpling place. A woman with her long blonde hair tied in a ponytail wearing purple, and a tall thin man with light brown hair. She recognized the blonde, but she wasn't sure she could place the man.

"Wow, he lost weight," Omoi commented from his seat across from where Karui was sitting.

Karui's attention snapped back to her travel partner at those words. "Lost weight? Do you know who he is?"

"You know him too, Karui…" Omoi said with slight confusion. "Isn't that Choji?"

She looked back to the man in question with a look of extreme confusion and a nastier expression that bordered on mistrust. It wasn't until he turned away from the counter and was facing toward her that she knew it was him. The red swirls on his shallow cheeks gave it away that Omoi was indeed correct about the identity of the thin man with the pretty blonde woman. Karui knew the blonde's name was Ino, and she had never cared much for her.

Choji on the other hand…

"Wonder if they're dating," Omoi said absentmindedly and then balked at the look of death he received from Karui. "What the hell!?"

"Omoi, how could you even suggest such a thing?" Karui hissed in disgust. Him? Date her? She is far too shallow for how caring Choji is.

"Well they walked in here together and sat down… it looks like it to me?" He said in a question. He wasn't sure what had gotten into his teammate, but he knew she was mad.

Karui didn't answer him. She sat there, trying not to stare at the infuriating couple, and thought about the time just before the war she had met Choji. The two had spent a fair amount of time talking and laughing together before they had to go line up in their separate divisions.

After the war had ended, the large boy had sought her out before they had to leave for their villages. He had managed to scrounge up two bags of potato chips and when he found her, he gave her one of them; saying something about how calories were important in chakra regeneration. She had found him so adorable and charming though, and she had only eaten a little less than half the bag before he gave the rest to him. She smiled remembering the smile he had on his face as he munched happily.

This was not the same pleasant man she had met then.

She tried to ignore the pangs of anger she felt seeing the two of them sitting together. She half listened to Omoi's mindless babbling, but didn't really take any of it in because she just didn't care. He was always prattled on about nothing important and she didn't have the patience for it.

Karui's head snapped up again when she heard yelling coming from one of the other tables. She looked over toward the sound and saw that Ino was standing from her seat, shouting at an unimpressed looking Choji. He rolled his eyes and looked away as she let out a frustrated sigh and stormed away toward the bathrooms just outside the back of the small building.

The redhead watched as Ino disappeared. Her gaze wandered back to Choji as he sat back in frustration. Karui ignored Omoi's questioning tone as she stood up and walked over to the table the man was sitting at. She marched right over and sat down in the place Ino had been sitting it, facing the man across from her with a hard expression on her face.

"Karui!" Choji said with an excited smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I was sent to bring a message to the Lady Hokage," she said with a slight smile. He was still so excitable and she could see the happiness in his eyes when he saw her. His small, pretty brown eyes were shining with the same brightness she had seen in his eyes the day he had brought her chips.

He continued to smile at her and he reached across the table to hold her dainty hand in his large one, "It's really good to see you." His words were as genuine as his smile, and it made Karui's heart skip a beat.

"I'm sure your blonde girlfriend will be back any moment," Karui said. Even she could hear the poison in her voice when she said the words. "I'm staying in the village overnight though, if you think you might like to talk."

"I'd like that, actually… how about dinner?" When Karui nodded, he practically clapped with glee. "I'll meet you at the barbecue restaurant at eight then."

She grinned at him and thought for a moment about how to proceed before she acted. She stood up and placed her hands on the table in front of her before leaning forward toward him. "When you show up… don't look like _this_ ," she said. As she had been sitting there in the close proximity, she could tell the thin appearance was a jutsu he was holding.

Choji watched as the gorgeous cloud woman walked away from him back toward her teammate. His heart hammered in his chest as he watched her. He could hear her last words echoing in his head and he shook his head. He felt like he couldn't have possibly heard her. Didn't all women like tall, thin, handsome men?

His confusion didn't leave him when Ino returned, still in a wicked mood. He only pretended to listen as his thoughts zoomed around in his mind. When he saw the two cloud ninja stand up to leave out of the corner of his eye, he turned to look fully at Karui. As she turned to leave, she looked at him and flashed him a smile that made his heart flutter and he completely tuned out everything Ino was saying.

Dinner could just not come soon enough.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

 _I am so over this game, Sasuke…_

Naruto was sitting in his apartment, thinking about everything that had happened since he had decided he was going to ask Hinata to be official. He had planned it out so carefully so he wouldn't make a fool of himself, and in one day it seemed that everything he had planned as shattered. One encounter outside the hot spring had been all it took for Sasuke to turn everything on its ear and make him rethink every step he took. Now it seemed like every time he got close to Hinata, he was interrupted or distracted by Sasuke, or occasionally Sai and Sakura; though the few times it had been the other two, he had seen them with Sasuke shortly afterward. He didn't understand why, or even how, this was happening. It seemed like somehow Sasuke knew every time Naruto was looking for Hinata and he came and distracted him from his task. It had happened enough times by now that Naruto was sure it couldn't have been coincidence.

He sighed and pushed himself off of his bed. He slipped his shoes on and walked outside and toward Avery's apartment. He wanted to tell her about his thoughts, in case he was just crazy. She would tell him if he was making a big deal out of nothing.

He waited after he knocked on her apartment door for what seemed like an eternity. He tapped his foot a little as he crossed his arms and gave an impatient huff of breath. After about ten minutes he decided she must not be home and set out to search for her.

He walked into the busier section of the village, searching for anywhere she might be. He looked at Ichiraku and the dumpling place in case she had gone there for dinner. He then looked at the barbecue restaurant, but nothing. He continued on, looking toward the market district in case she was out getting groceries or something, but he was still coming up empty.

"Where the hell could she be?" Naruto asked himself aloud as he walked toward the hospital. He decided to check in with Sakura and see if she was doing any short rounds at the hospital. She had done that a few times since the war, but he didn't think she was doing it anymore now that most of the people were out. Even Gai was out of the hospital now, but he still had a cast on his leg and was wheelchair bound.

Once he had gotten to the hospital and found Sakura, he had asked her about if she had seen Avery. Sakura had just smiled and shook her head.

"She's on a mission, she left two days ago," Sakura said with a smile. "I think she's scheduled back tonight though."

"Alright, thanks," Naruto said and sighed as he left. He would have asked Sakura what Sasuke was up to, but he figured he would just get laughed at and decided against it. He knew Sakura and Sasuke had been hanging out a lot and he figured he wouldn't get anywhere by asking her.

He wandered back toward the restaurants in the village deciding he might as well get something to eat while he was out. As he was walking he saw Hinata walking down a side path from where he was. He hadn't been planning on seeing her out, but maybe that was how he would finally get to ask her.

He made a decision and walked down the path toward the girl. He placed his hands in his pockets nervously as he slowly approached the girl. She was walking away from him though so he figured he would need to speed up in order to catch up to her, but right as he sped up in order to try and catch up with her, someone stepped into his way and he ran headfirst into them.

"Ouch, what was that?" he complained and looked up into the slightly ominous onyx eyes of Sasuke.

"You should probably watch where you're going," Sasuke said coolly as he stood there in front of the blonde. He folded his arms across his chest and tilted his head to the side slightly.

Naruto glared at the Uchiha and started to go around him, but right as he went to pass, he felt a pressure on his arm. He turned to see Sasuke had grabbed his arm and made him stop.

"What do you want?" Naruto hissed angrily as he realized Sasuke was _once again_ stopping him from talking to Hinata.

"I have a coupon for ramen, but since I'm not super fond of ramen, I thought you might like to have it," he said pulling the small paper from his pocket.

Naruto always stocked up on ramen cups in his apartment because it was something quick and something he enjoyed eating. So turning it down would be pretty silly. Even though he knew he should take it, he also could practically _feel_ the fact that when he turned around, Hinata would be gone.

"Yeah alright," he said trying to smile, but his irritation was making it hard. He took the paper and Sasuke walked away without another word.

When Naruto turned to look for Hinata, he realized he had no idea which way she went. He could no longer see her, and he was standing in the alley alone.

 _Of all the fucking chances…_ he grumbled as he kicked the dirt and turned to make his way over to get some dinner from Ichiraku.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

By the time eight rolled around, Choji couldn't _wait_ to get to the barbeque restaurant to meet Karui.

Ino had something she was doing with her family that night, but she had made him stay until he made an excuse that he was supposed to help Shikamaru do something and that he had to go. He had had to make a dash home to get different clothes and release the jutsu and it was now a quarter past eight and he was running to get to the barbecue restaurant in hopes the cloud girl hadn't given up and left.

It didn't even occur to him he should feel bad for lying to his girlfriend.

The couple had been on the rocks for a few weeks now. The beginning of their relationship had been kept quiet for fear their friends would make a huge deal out of it, but even with the secrecy, Choji had been so happy. He had never thought he would actually feel wanted by his beautiful, blonde teammate and it was a feeling that made him confident. Choji had been so happy about the whole relationship; he didn't realize how irritated Shikamaru would be when he found out.

Shikamaru had always told him through their entire friendship that his size shouldn't ever be something he was ashamed of; that some girls even _like_ a bigger guy. Choji could never bring himself to believe that though, and had figured out how to do a jutsu to make him skinny in order to date Ino. Shikamaru had blown up at both of them when he found out and refused to talk to them for over a week each.

The relationship had continued though, and for a while Choji was still just as happy as he had been when it started. It wasn't until recently that he realized how much harder the relationship was getting, and how much more annoying he thought Ino was.

He burst into the doors of the barbeque restaurant, panting as he looked around for the redhead cloud ninja he was meeting there. He let out a sigh of relief when he saw her sitting toward the back of the restaurant. Her back was to him, but he could see her white cloud clothing and red hair from where he was. He ran his hands over his hair, trying to make sure it wasn't too out of control from running, and he adjusted his clothes before he walked toward her.

"Hey," he said as he approached, announcing his arrival so he wouldn't startle her. "I'm so sorry; I had something that ran late."

"Hey, its okay, you're here now," Karui said flashing him a smile. "I wasn't even waiting that long, I got here late too," she lied wanting to make him feel better about being late.

He returned her smile with a warm one of his own. "It's been a while. I haven't seen you since the war," Choji began, "how are you?"

"I'm great; our village is pretty back to normal. We still have some injured and some that won't be able to be ninja anymore, but we are working through it," she said as she took a sip of the water the hostess had brought her after seating her. "What about you?"

"Oh about the same, the village is back to mostly normal," he said nodding absently. "Actually, one of our main sensei's just got released from-"

"Why are you dating Ino?" Karui blurted out. She blushed and covered her mouth as soon as she realized what she had said. She had wanted to wait until they got into their dinner before she asked him about his so-called _girlfriend_ but it had just slipped out.

Choji also blushed and he looked away from her. He felt like he should be mad she was questioning him, but this was Karui. He honestly didn't think she would judge his choices for kicks. If she's asking, it's because she doesn't like it.

"Well… umm… she's been my teammate since we were kids…" Choji tried to find something that sounded like a reason. But the question really made him wonder; why was he with Ino?

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have blurted that out…" Karui said as she struggled to sit there and not say more.

"No, it's okay," Choji said.

Karui looked up and him, her hazel eyes met his brown ones and she felt the dam break. "It's just that she's all wrong for someone like you! You're so sweet and caring, and she's more concerned about image than anything else."

"You make her sound so conceited," Choji said.

"She is, Choji! No one should have to change for someone to like them. I, for example, like you the way you are," she said staring right into his eyes. If she was doing this, she was going all the way. There was no halfway for something like this.

Choji just stared back at her as she spoke. She was really adamant about this. "Karui…"

"I don't like what that whiney, squealing _pig_ his done to you. You are amazing the way you are," she said as she crossed her arms and sat back in her chair.

Just then the waitress had come to bring Choji some water and take their orders. Choji looked at Karui and waited for her to order. When she finished, Choji made a motion to say he was not eating when he got a look from Karui. He had already eaten with Ino's family, but she knew this was his favorite restaurant. He sighed and ordered himself one of his usual orders. The waitress smiled and told them she'd get right on it.

He turned back to see she had a pleased smile on her face. "I already ate, I don't really need to eat again," he said sheepishly.

"Under normal circumstances, where you weren't worried about what a certain blonde might think, would you have ordered something?"

"Yes," he said shyly.

"Then you should not feel bad about it," Karui said. "I want you to be who you are around me. Not who you think you need to be to please a woman."

Choji smiled at her as she said that and it finally clicked in his mind. She wanted him to be himself. Not only did she want that, she _liked_ him as himself. She was angry he had been changing for Ino. He took a drink of his water and leaned toward her, intent on talking about everything they had missed in each other's lives since they had seen each other last.

And tomorrow, he was going to do some thinking about his relationship with Ino.


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own anything

Warning: SMUT. This is the first chapter with a complete lemon scene in it. you've been warned.

So many couples have been hinted at in the last few chapters. Where do you think everyone will end up?

 _Chapter Twenty-Two_

Frustration had gotten the better of Naruto, and he realized it, as he paced around the village that night. He was tired of whatever was going on with him and Sasuke. He wanted answers; he wanted to know what was going on. But every time he thought to ask, he lost his nerve. What if it was all in his head?

What he really wanted was to talk to Avery about what he thought was going on. He knew she would be able to see into what was going on and tell him whether or not he was being an idiot. He valued her as a friend for multiple reasons, but he always felt like he could confide in her and that she wouldn't make him feel stupid for it. It was the difference between talking to her and talking to Sakura. Sakura would tell him if he was being an idiot, but he would feel idiotic afterwards. With Avery, even if she called him an idiot, she would follow it up with why he probably thought that and make him feel better about it.

He just didn't feel stupid when it was her.

He sighed as he paced around. Sakura said she should be back tonight, but what was taking so long? He had left a note on her door that he needed to speak with her and that it was urgent, and about where he would be. He knew he couldn't just sit still at home, he needed to walk, needed to move… needed to punch something.

He turned and looked at the wall near him. That looked like something he could innocently punch with minimal consequences, as long as he didn't hit it too hard. He clenched his hand into a fist, pulled back, and snapped his arm forward. His knuckles collided with the wall and it damaged a few of the bricks.

"Naruto! What are you doing?"

Naruto cursed under his breath at the slight throb in his knuckles and turned to see Avery was standing at the end of the alleyway. She walked toward him with a confused look on her face.

"Damn it's about time. Do you make a habit of returning from missions late?" Naruto teased, though his voice didn't hold the same joking tone it usually did.

"Hush up, jerk head, we were delayed," Avery shot back and came to a stop in front of him. "What's up with you? You left me a note and you're punching walls? Are you okay?"

Naruto took a breath. Now was his chance, now he had to tell someone. But how was he supposed to say what he felt was happening without sounding like he was losing his mind?

So instead of a real answer, he settled for sarcasm, "Oh yeah, everything is just amazing."

"The sarcasm isn't appreciated. I can feel how tense you are," Avery shot back at him and crossed her arms.

Naruto sighed and looked away from her. He had wanted to tell her what was going on in hopes she would be able to help him understand it, but now that she was actually here, he couldn't.

"I thought you were going to ask Hinata to be your girlfriend?" Avery asked, changing the subject slightly.

"I was… I still kind of plan to," Naruto said with a sigh. "But…"

"Kind of? But?"

"Well, I keep getting… blocked whenever I try," he said hesitantly.

"Blocked? Blocked how? Like someone stops you?" She asked.

"Yeah," he said. He could feel his stomach tightening with the nerves he felt about what… or who… had been stopping him. It was the same stomach tightening feeling he felt the first time Sasuke had pinned him to the wall.

"Who is it?"

"I… I'd rather not say just yet," Naruto said turning away from her. He was chickening out. He couldn't tell her. He would just have to figure this out himself.

Avery eyed him suspiciously. She could feel the muscles in her stomach clenching as if it was her that was the nervous one. She walked over to him and turned him around, she wasn't letting him out of this when it was obviously bothering him. "How are they stopping you?" she asked.

Naruto sighed, "Mostly they just talk to me until I'm distracted enough, which works really well most of the time because it confuses the shit out of me." Naruto sighed as he thought about how strange that really was. He had spent so much time chasing Sasuke, wanting Sasuke to come back. Then he did and he continued to try to be his friend, and nothing. Now all of a sudden Sasuke was the one after him? It just didn't make any sense.

"You said mostly… so there have been other methods?"

"Yeah, they have sent other people to interfere… and…" he trailed off, wondering how to explain the first tactic the Uchiha had used.

"And?"

Naruto grabbed Avery by the tops of her arms and pinned her against the wall of the alley they were standing in. He stood a breath away from her, with his hands on either side of her head against the wall, just staring at her. "They did this," he said finally.

Avery's breath was taken away by the action. She was shocked, and it made her wonder about the longing in Naruto's eyes. "You didn't fight?"

He stepped back and turned away from her and groaned, "I was too surprised at first. Then the look in their eyes made me frozen on the spot."

Something about the way Naruto wouldn't use gender specific terms made Avery wonder. "Is this person we're talking about a guy?" she asked.

Naruto whipped around in surprise to look at her, wondering how she knew. "Yes… it's a guy."

"Oh my gosh…" Avery said covering her mouth. She remembered back to the day she was sitting and talking with Sasuke. The look in his eyes had totally changed after Naruto had interrupted them and said he was going to ask Hinata to be official. "It's Sasuke, isn't it?"

Naruto hesitated. He didn't want to admit it aloud. He still wasn't totally sure how he felt about it, but he knew she would know if he lied. "Yeah… it's Sasuke."

"And you don't know how you feel about that," Avery said.

"You know, that power is really annoying," Naruto grumbled as he walked away from her to begin pacing again.

"Naruto."

"Yeah, yeah, I know… I have to figure it out."

"Well, what's causing your uncertainty?" she asked, stepping away from the wall now. "Is it because he's a guy?"

"I don't think so. I mean we talk about Kakashi and Tenzou and how great they are together all the time," Naruto said waving his arm. "I just…" he struggled to find the words to properly express how he felt about the whole thing. "I don't know how to even know how I should feel about all this! I finally decided to try things out with Hinata because I know she's liked me for forever, and she's really great, but I don't know how I feel about that either!" His pacing picked up speed as he grew more flustered.

"So I decide, maybe I'll ask her to be official! Then I'll really be able to wrap my head around this. But now there's Sasuke. And another thing, I tried to get him to open back up and be my friend when he came back. I did, and he kept pushing me away like he _always_ fucking does. So I stopped pushing, so now he's pushing? What the fuck is _**that**_ about?" Naruto could feel himself rambling away. His words flying out like they were bullets firing from a gun. He shook his head and ran his hand through his messy blonde hair in frustration.

Avery watched as Naruto rambled and struggled with his thoughts. She chewed on the inside of her cheek and watched his face. He wasn't against it… he wasn't repulsed by the idea of being with a guy or anything. He was just so confused.

"Are you attracted to him?" She asked with her arms crossed over her chest.

"I…" Naruto started to say but he realized he needed to think about that. He bit his lip as he considered that question. He pictured what Sasuke looked like and actually felt the urge to smile. "He is attractive… but am I attracted to him? I don't know."

"To be fair, you really haven't ever had to address something like this," she said.

"As a ninja, I have not had time to properly address emotions and how to feel. I've always been just trying to get stronger and catching up to… well Sasuke," he said as he rolled his eyes at how ridiculous that sounded with everything happening between them now. "I know about Hinata's feelings and that's about it," he sighed. "How would I know about this? How would I know about Sasuke?"

"There isn't really anyway you could have known. But it seems like he's the one trying to catch up to you now," she said with a suggestive wink. Then she sighed and the smile melted off her face. "In all seriousness, you are at a slight disadvantage with this."

"I just wish I knew what he was thinking. Maybe if I knew what was going on in that over confident damned head of his…" he trailed off.

"Well maybe you should ask him," Avery said. As if right on cue she felt Sasuke approaching them. He had heard voices and was coming to investigate. "Good luck," she added and was gone by the time Naruto turned around.

"Naruto."

Naruto whipped back around to see the exact person he really didn't want to talk to right now. Sasuke came around the corner with his hands in his pockets and a torn expression on his face. "What are you doing out here?" he asked.

"I was taking a walk," Naruto said lamely.

"In the middle of the night?" Sasuke asked crossing his arms across his chest.

"Well, why are you out here so late then?" Naruto asked huffily.

"I was on my way home from the dumpling place with Sakura."

"Oh…"

Neither of them said anything for a few minutes. They both just stood there watching each other. Avery had told him to just ask Sasuke what was going on, but he wasn't sure how to go about that.

' _Hey Sasuke, what the fuck is your problem?' would probably go over really well…_ he thought sarcastically. _Maybe if I just hint at what's going on? I mean I can't really just outright ask him… can I?_

"Maybe I should let you get back to that walk," Sasuke said softly turning away. He was internally kicking himself for coming over here. He had heard a female voice, but when he turned the corner Naruto was alone. He was losing his mind, and it was all the damned blonde's fault.

"Wait, Sasuke," Naruto said as the raven turned away. He walked toward him to stop him from leaving. Naruto reached out toward the raven, who was already turning back around. When Sasuke saw Naruto reaching toward him, he gripped the blonde's wrist and advanced on him until he was, once again, pinned against the wall.

Naruto gasped when his back hit the wall. "Sasuke, what-" he started to say until his gaze met deep black eyes. The rest of his sentence died on his tongue. Sasuke was so close he could feel his breath on his cheek as it came out in shallow gasps.

Sasuke was struggling through his own feelings. He wasn't sure what he was doing or if he was ready for this. He just stood there, with Naruto's wrist in one hand, the other braced on the wall by the blonde's head. He stared into the blue eyes of the man he sat up at night thinking about.

At first he had thought he was going insane. That was when he had sought out Sakura. He had figured if he told someone else about it they would be able to tell him he was insane or that the feeling would pass. He figured the only person in the village he trusted enough to tell something like this to was the one person he didn't think would understand. But he knew he had to try.

Sakura had been a lot more understanding than he had expected. She had given up on her feelings for him the day he had tried to kill her. After apologizing and having Sakura roll her eyes and tell him she didn't need apologies from him, she settled down to hear him out. Feeling much more comfortable with Sakura than he ever had, he told her everything. He told her about how he thought he was going crazy because he couldn't get the blonde out of his head.

"I see his idiotic face every time I close my eyes," Sasuke had told her with his head in his hands.

"You know what that means right?" Sakura had asked with a coy smile on her face.

Sasuke shook his head, his eyebrows knitted together in intense frustration and confusion.

"You have feelings for him, like the ones I used to have for you," she had told him.

It had been then everything had come together. Why he was so frustrated, why he couldn't stop thinking about the blonde, why he couldn't stop seeing him every night when he closed his eyes, why he dreamed about him. Sakura had not only been beyond understanding about it, she had been willing to help him through the feelings.

That night before he had found Naruto, he had been talking to Sakura about knowing when he would be ready to tell the blonde how he was feeling.

"Just talk to him, you'll feel better once you do," she had told him as he was leaving.

Sasuke knew he needed to talk to him. He was sure Naruto was beyond confused about everything that had been going on. Sasuke was trying so hard to interfere with every attempt the blonde made to ask the Hyuuga to be his girlfriend and he had succeeded. But he was curious what it had to be doing to Naruto.

"Sasuke," Naruto finally found his voice. "What's going on?" he asked. His breaths were coming hard.

"I don't… I don't know," he breathed in frustration. He let go of Naruto's wrist and sighed as he turned away.

"Wait," Naruto said and gripped Sasuke's arm.

As soon as Sasuke felt Naruto's fingers on his arm, he turned and slammed his lips into the blonde's. He felt Naruto stiffen slightly, but he didn't fight him. Sasuke held back the groan at how soft Naruto's lips felt against his own, and when his lips began to move, he was thrilled to find Naruto's did too. His tongue slipped passed his lips and into the blonde's mouth, exploring every inch of it. He was trying to place the taste of the blonde's mouth when he realized he still hadn't actually talked to the man at all, he had just acted. He tore himself away and walked away.

Naruto watched as Sasuke walked a few paces away from him. He closed his eyes then and leaned his head back against the wall, trying to catch his breath. He touched his lips with his fingers, trying to figure out why they were tingling. Once he was sure he could speak without sounding completely breathless, he spoke.

"Sasuke, please, what is going on?" he asked. He desperately wanted to know what was happening here.

Sasuke had stopped a few feet away from the blonde. He couldn't believe he had done that. He turned back to face Naruto and took a deep breath. "I… I don't know," he said shakily. "I just…" he couldn't find the words. He couldn't tell him, "I'm sorry," he said and walked quickly away from him.

"Sasuke! Wait!"

Naruto followed after the raven. He wanted him to tell him what was going on. He wanted answers. He wanted to know why his lips tingled.

However, Sasuke didn't stop walking. Naruto followed diligently behind him all the way to his house. It was in the area the old Uchiha district had been before Pein destroyed the village, and very much like the old Uchiha district, it had a wall around it with a gate with the Uchiha crest on it. Naruto always figured they built this for Sasuke in case he ever came back, and when Tsunade told him he could move there, Naruto knew he had been right.

Sasuke didn't stop until he got through the gate. He turned on the blonde when he realized he was still following him and came up short. He had intended on yelling, on telling him to go home. But his breath left his lungs the second those sparkling blue eyes came into his view.

Naruto passed through the gate and stopped in front of his former teammate. As he stood watching Sasuke's eyes, he licked his lips a little, and the realization dawned on him. He was so dazed and tingly because he _liked_ the kiss. He absolutely liked the feeling of Sasuke's lips on his. And he had almost moaned when he had felt his tongue.

 _Well… I guess I know I'm okay with it now._

He watched as Sasuke continued to struggle, even after the short walk to his house. He wanted to get him to talk to him. There had to be something going on in his head, he never saw Sasuke struggle this much.

"Sasuke, what are you thinking about?" he asked. He was trying to make it easier.

"I… I'm trying to figure out how to…" he struggled. He stared into the ocean blue eyes of the man he had just kissed. He could get lost in the beauty of those eyes. Those eyes stole his breath now that he was admitting to himself how he really felt. But how was he supposed to admit it to him?

As Sasuke stood there struggling with his words, Naruto was looking at him closer than he ever had. _Am I attracted to him?_ He asked himself. He realized he liked the kiss, but did that mean he was really attracted to him? He looked for things he liked about him, he liked his hair; he always had even though he would have never admitted it before. He had always admired the way Sasuke stood tall and his presence always demanded respect. Even though Naruto had never shown it, he did respect him. Sasuke was all authority and dominance and power.

 _I guess I am attracted to him. I can't even think about one way I'm attracted to Hinata right now._

"What am I to you?" Sasuke asked him. "What do you feel toward me?"

Naruto was surprised by the question that broke his thoughts. It wasn't something he expected him to ask, so he had to think about it. After a few minutes, he finally came up with how to word it.

"You've always been the unreachable. The unreachable goal, friend, rival… anything you put there, you've always been totally unreachable to me. And now, even with you back in the village, it hasn't changed," he said. He had been so frustrated with Sasuke since he had been back in the village because it seemed like everyone was able to talk to him more than he could. Then even when Sasuke was interrupting all his attempts to talk to Hinata, he still didn't feel like he was making any real progress with his former teammate.

Now he was starting to understand why.

Sasuke looked down when Naruto had finished speaking. He knew now that Naruto had answered the question it was his turn. He took a deep breath before he looked back up into the blue eyes that threatened to swallow him whole.

"For me… I've been living in the dark, swallowed whole by the blackness of it for so long, that it's like you're the sun I didn't know I needed."

"Do you mean wanted?" Naruto asked thickly.

"No… I meant needed," Sasuke said. He stepped forward toward him and without missing a beat; he leaned forward and kissed him again.

This time, Naruto didn't stiffen when Sasuke's lips met with his. Instead, he closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the Uchiha's neck, his fingers tangling at the back of his black hair. Sasuke groaned slightly at the feeling and pushed the blonde back until he was against the wall surrounding the house.

He coaxed Naruto's lips apart and slipped his tongue into his mouth. The taste was like honeydew and some other sweetness he couldn't place, and he couldn't get enough of it. Their tongues battled for dominance for a moment, but Sasuke eventually won when his hands slipped from their place on either side of the blonde's neck down to his hips.

Naruto's mind spun as he melted against Sasuke. Every touch sent a wave of molten heat throughout Naruto's body before it settled between his legs. He could feel his body reacting to Sasuke in a way it had never reacted to anyone else. He found himself wanting to feel Sasuke's hands on him, his lips on more than just his own mouth.

When they finally broke apart they were both gasping for air, but that didn't stop Sasuke. He pressed his lips to Naruto's neck and listened to the shallow gasps coming from the blonde. He nipped lightly at the skin on his neck before moving his lips up to nibble on the blonde's ear.

The moan that emanated from him at that moment sent heat shooting toward Sasuke's groin. He had wanted Naruto for so long now that even just the smallest sound made Sasuke react in a way that was hot and lustful. He raised his hands from the blonde's hips to the zipper on his jacket and slowly pulled it down. When Naruto didn't stop him, he took the initiative to slip his hands under the jacket and feel Naruto's muscled body through the mesh undershirt he wore.

He felt Naruto pull him back up to kiss him and when their lips met again, Sasuke pushed the jacket off Naruto's shoulders. It fell to the grass with a soft whisper as he felt Naruto's hands wander to the bottom of Sasuke's shirt. Sasuke had forgone the rope belt and extra cloth he used to wear in favor of a light grey shirt and black pants. Sasuke felt the blonde's hands slip underneath his shirt and he suppressed a groan as the hands slowly moved over the muscles of his abdomen.

Sasuke's lips broke away from Naruto's and moved to his ear, "Inside," he breathed and nipped at the blonde's ear lobe again. He felt him shudder lightly before he grabbed his hand and began walking backward, leading Naruto toward the door. The blonde followed him willingly, and as soon as they made it through, and had shut, the door, Sasuke pounced on him again.

The raven's hands went to the hem of Naruto's mesh undershirt and yanked it up and off before Naruto did the same with Sasuke's. Sasuke's eyes traveled over the blonde's bare torso. He was much more muscled than he used to be, but he wasn't bulky at all. His chest was hard, skin pulled taut over well defined muscles. His stomach was defined nicely and lead to the deliciously tempting V of his pelvis. He had been staying in good shape all these years.

He pulled the blonde with him further into the house, turning the corner before he twirled him around and pushed him down on the couch. He was over him in the next second, carefully straddling the blonde's hips before claiming his mouth once more. They both softly moaned as their hands roamed over each other's bodies. As their tongues danced together, Sasuke rolled his hips, thrusting his clothed erection against Naruto's. The blonde arched against him and cried out into his mouth.

The response he got was encouraging enough for Sasuke to do it again. He smirked against Naruto's mouth hearing him moan. Sasuke's erection was straining against his own pants now; wanting more contact. He sat up and reached for the blonde's pants, his fingers fumbling with the zipper a little before he got them undone and he slid back to pull them down his muscled thighs. He got them down to his ankles before he realized the blonde still had his shoes on and he took them off first. Once he had his pants off, he ran his tongue along the inside of Naruto's thigh.

"S-Sasuke," Naruto moaned. He closed his eyes and relaxed into the feeling of the raven's hands and tongue over his skin. He felt Sasuke's cold fingertips under the waistband of his boxers and he lifted his hips to help him slide them off, freeing his erection. It never occurred to him that he should feel embarrassed about being completely naked in front of the raven. All he knew was he wanted Sasuke very badly, and he was pretty sure Sasuke wanted him just as much.

Sasuke hovered over the blonde again. He closed one hand around the blonde's hard cock and watched as Naruto's back arched again and he let out a groan. He pumped his hand over him and raised his other hand to Naruto's mouth. He placed two fingers against the blonde's soft lips and waited until he parted them to slip them inside his mouth.

"Suck," he ordered softly as he continued to rub his member. Naruto did as he was told, lapping at Sasuke's fingers with his tongue, coating them in saliva. Once Sasuke was satisfied with the amount of moisture he had on his fingers, he removed his hand from the blonde's mouth and brought it down to prod at his entrance. He swirled his finger around the tight hole, moistening it a little before pushing experimentally against it.

"Relax," Sasuke said gently as he lowered his head toward Naruto's erection. He flicked his tongue lightly over the tip and watched as Naruto's body jerked a little and he moaned. Sasuke pressed again and met less resistance, so he slid his finger slowly inside the blonde's tight entrance.

Naruto groaned feeling the intrusion of Sasuke's finger inside his body. He realized he must have relaxed some because it didn't hurt, but it didn't necessarily feel good either. He moaned softly and closed his eyes at the feeling of Sasuke's mouth closing around the tip of his cock. He bit his lip, thoroughly enjoying Sasuke's wicked tongue lapping at his hardness. His attention shot back to Sasuke's cool finger when he felt a hot pang of intense pleasure toward the back of his pelvis.

"Haa! Wow," he moaned loudly.

Sasuke smirked around Naruto's cock and pressed his finger against that spot again, knowing he had found the blonde's prostate. The blonde moaned loudly and his body clenched around Sasuke's finger. Sasuke continued to move his finger against that spot and brought his other hand to Naruto's lips again.

This time, Naruto didn't need to be told what to do. He opened his mouth and took Sasuke's fingers into his mouth, sucking messily at them and biting down every time Sasuke's finger hit that delicious spot inside him. When he felt Sasuke remove his finger from his body, he whimpered lightly before he replaced it with the two he had just removed from Naruto's mouth. He sucked in a breath through his teeth at the slight pain of two fingers instead of one and attempted to relax as Sasuke's fingers moved slowly in and out of him.

Sasuke's other hand wrapped around the base of Naruto's cock. He released the tip from between his lips and moved to lick up the side, earning him another loud moan. Naruto's hips began to rock slowly against Sasuke's finger. The raven was pleasantly surprised at how positively the blonde responded to him. It made him want the blonde that much more.

He lifted his head away from Naruto's cock, keeping his one hand on it while the other was still thrusting two fingers inside him. Sasuke spread his fingers apart inside the blonde, stretching him, preparing him for what was to come. He watched Naruto's body begin to tremble in pleasure and anticipation.

"Sasuke," Naruto moaned softly. "Please."

It was Sasuke's turn to shiver now after hearing his name being moaned out, followed by the softest plea. The raven lifted away from the blonde, releasing his cock and slipping his fingers out of him and slipped his own pants and underwear off, freeing his hard member. He bit his lip as he paused, knowing he needed to slick his cock before he tried to enter the blonde. He reached over into the drawer on the table next to the couch and grabbed a small bottle of sensitive-skin lotion. He squeezed a decent amount onto his hand and lathered his cock with it.

Sasuke looked down at Naruto and groaned at the sight. He had a sweaty glow to him and his eyes were lustful. Sasuke was positive he had never seen anything quite as beautiful. He leaned back over the blonde, dipping down to kiss him softly as he lifted Naruto's hips and positioned himself between his legs.

"Relax," Sasuke reminded him softly. He lifted one hand to brush Naruto's hair away from his face.

Naruto let out a wavering breath he didn't realize he was holding. He consciously worked to relax his muscles, turning his face toward Sasuke's hand and kissing it.

Sasuke's heart leapt at the tender notion. He pressed his cock against Naruto's entrance and slowly eased the tip in. He was met with no resistance, Naruto had relaxed enough that Sasuke was able to sink all the way into him with minimal effort, not including the natural resistance of the blonde's body. Clearly it was his first time at this, and it made Sasuke's ego swell just slightly knowing that he was the first to top the blonde. He watched Naruto's face as his brows scrunched together in pain, and once he was completely inside, he leaned down to kiss him again.

"Sasuke," Naruto whispered against his lips, "move." He wrapped his arms around the raven's neck, keeping him close so he could continue to kiss him. Pain shot up his spine when he felt Sasuke move slowly out of him and he whimpered into the kiss. He squeezed his eyes shut and waited for the pain to shudder back through him when Sasuke pushed back in, but it never came.

Instead of pain, there was an intense wave of pleasure that replaced it. Naruto trembled with the intensity of it and deepened the kiss, opening his mouth and tangling his own tongue with Sasuke's.

Sasuke moaned lightly into Naruto's mouth as he continued to inch slowly out of the blonde and push back in. The soft sounds Naruto was making were encouraging and slowly he began to pick up speed. Soon he was holding tightly to Naruto's hips, moving in and out of him quickly. He broke the kiss and straightened up as he continued to pound into the blonde. When he let out a loud cry and arched his back, Sasuke knew he had found his prostate and aimed to hit that spot every time.

"Ahh, fuck! Sasuke!" he cried out as he struggled for something to hold onto. He had one arm holding the arm of the couch behind his head, and the other reached out to grab Sasuke's forearm. His nails dug into his skin as Sasuke moved hard and fast.

Sasuke drove further, increasing speed and power until he felt he couldn't go any harder. He could feel sweat on his neck and face. One look down told him Naruto was close, his cock leaking precum onto his stomach. He braced his hands against each side of the blonde's head and continued to thrust hard into his prostate.

"Fuck," Naruto moaned loudly. The constant hits to his prostate making the pressure in his groin borderline unbearable. He felt like the heat was going to spill over, the pleasure was too much. "Sasuke," he hissed raggedly. "I… I'm…" he lost all focus on what he was saying and cried out when Sasuke pulled almost all the way out and slammed back in fast and hard.

"Yes, that's it," he whispered in his ear and repeated the last movement. He did it once, twice, three times, relishing in Naruto's harsh cries of pleasure each time. On the fourth time, he watched as Naruto threw his head back and felt him shudder as he came onto their stomachs.

Naruto felt Sasuke continue to thrust into him a few more times until he felt the raven's release flood his insides. As soon as he had finished, Sasuke collapsed on top of him, both of them breathing hard. Naruto licked his lips and closed his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. His entire body was humming. He couldn't remember another time when he had felt so… satisfied.

Once Sasuke had his breathing calmed down, he turned to look at Naruto. He was met by wide, breathtaking blue eyes. He just gave him a small half smile before he said, "I think I missed a step."

Naruto laughed at that, the movement doing interesting things to the way their bodies were still connected; causing them both to gasp. Sasuke slipped out of Naruto and sat back on his knees between the blonde's splayed legs.

Naruto sighed in contentment and laid his head back against the arm of the couch, closing his eyes. He was so tired now.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked.

"Yes, I think," he said with a smile. "Just a little tired now."

"Yeah that's pretty normal," Sasuke said.

Naruto opened his eyes and lifted his head to look at Sasuke. He had a semi-serious expression on his face. "That was my first."

Sasuke nodded, "I kinda figured."

"No… I mean…" Naruto said almost nervously. "That was my first… one…"

Sasuke furrowed his brows in mild confusion. It took him a minute to realize what the blonde meant, "Oh… You mean… You've never had one yourself?"

"Nope."

Sasuke took a deep breath and let it out with a laugh, "I really did miss a big step."

Naruto smiled a little, "Just a bit."

"Well… Why don't we go get cleaned up. Then we can talk, okay?"

"Okay," Naruto replied with a smile.


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own anything mentioned in the story. I haven't been writing as much and I'm starting to worry I might end up being late someday soon.

Warnings: Smut scene. More OOC for a certain Uchiha. Drama. The usual.

 _Chapter Twenty-Three_

Naruto tucked his knees up to his chest as he sat on Sasuke's bed. Sasuke had helped him clean up and given him a long sleeve shirt and his boxers. The shirt was a little too long in the arms and torso for Naruto, which made sense since Sasuke was a little taller than him. He was waiting patiently for Sasuke to come back out of the bathroom, worried about this talk they were supposed to be having.

The high from what they had just done had worn off now, and he could feel a slight soreness setting in. His lips were swollen and his eyelids were heavy with sleepiness. He knew he would snap out of it when Sasuke came out to talk though. His nerves were too on edge to miss that.

Finally Sasuke walked into the bedroom, wearing a pair of sweat pants. His slim but strong torso was bare and Naruto's eyes snapped up to him.

 _He really is handsome,_ Naruto was thinking as Sasuke walked over to sit next to him on the bed. He relaxed his legs and crossed them in front of him instead of being tucked to his chest.

"Are you ready to tell me what's going on?" Naruto asked him with a smile.

"I don't really have a choice, though I think you could probably guess at this point," Sasuke said with his brow raised.

"I want to hear you say it," Naruto challenged.

Sasuke sighed and shook his head, "Alright. Where should I start?"

"The beginning?" Naruto suggested sarcastically.

"Thank you," Sasuke rolled his eyes and turned to face the blonde. "Let me keep it plain and simple then. I like you."

Naruto's stomach felt like it did a flip and his heart rate accelerated. He was reeling from just three words. How was that possible? "You like me…" Naruto repeated looking down at his hands.

"Yes, I like you," Sasuke repeated.

"How….when…?" Naruto struggled for the words.

Sasuke looked at him and sighed. He would have to tell him everything. He thought about what he was going to say for a just a minute before he sighed and began.

"There's something I've never told you. There is something I admire about you. A personality trait you have that by now has completely captured my attention since coming back to the village."

When Sasuke paused Naruto looked into his deep onyx eyes, "What is it?"

"Compassion," Sasuke breathed. "You're always so much more worried about everyone else than yourself. That was something that never changed, even through a war where you were the target. It started to get to me when we went to save… umm… your captain. What's his name?"

"Tenzou? Yamato then," Naruto answered.

"Yes. When we saved him from the cave and brought him to the hospital. You took command of the situation, calm and collected. Something I had only ever seen recently from you; the first time being when you and Avery saved Sakura from me. It stirred a feeling I have never felt in my entire life within me," Sasuke looked away from Naruto and took another breath before continuing.

"When I realized what was happening I knew I needed to tell someone so they could tell me I was crazy. Sakura was the only person I felt I could open up to with minimal judgment. She was the one that made me realize what was happening was that I had feelings for you.

"After she had said that, I had denied it. I didn't want to believe that was what was happening, but I also knew I couldn't be alone with you, which is why I avoided it. I avoided you. The only time I allowed myself to be around you was when we were going to be with others."

"So visiting Tenzou in the hospital…"

"Sai was there, so it was alright. Sai and I are actually friends now too, so I guess more than one good thing came from that," Sasuke shrugged. "Nothing happened after that was over with until the day I was talking to Avery."

"The first time you interrupted me trying to talk to Hinata," Naruto said.

"Yes. When I heard you say you were going to ask Hinata to be your girlfriend, I felt so angry… I didn't understand it. It took me most of the rest of the day, following you and making sure you never actually found the Hyuuga girl to realize I was completely jealous. You were going to ask someone else to be yours and I knew I didn't want you to do that," he said.

Naruto sat quietly as he listened; even though his heart was hammering so hard in his chest he wouldn't have been surprised if Sasuke could hear it. He knew when Sasuke was done telling him this he would have a choice to make.

"I went back to Sakura again after I had continuously distracted you from Hinata. She told me again that I had feelings for you like the ones she used to feel for me. I didn't want to believe it, but now I know it's true. I do have these feelings for you." He looked up to Naruto's eyes again. "And now you know what's going on."

Naruto took a deep breath, his mind working to process what he had heard. To him it sounded like Sasuke wanted him to be his rather than being with Hinata. Was that right? His heart continued to pound uncomfortably hard in his chest, while his stomach knotted nervously. He had never reacted this way; ever.

Not even to Sakura, who he thought he had been in love with.

He licked his lips unconsciously while he tried to think of what he was going to say. Suddenly his eyes were fluttering closed as Sasuke's lips met his. Naruto's hands flew to Sasuke's neck and his fingers wound in his hair. They kissed gently at first, but the kiss grew in intensity and hunger and before either of them realized it, they were panting.

"Sorry," Sasuke said when he released the blonde. "I couldn't help it."

Naruto let out a shaky laugh. His cheeks were flushed, and the kiss had not done anything to help the painful nervous actions of his body, in fact they were worse now.

"So, what does all this mean?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke placed one hand on Naruto's leg, "I've known for a while that I am bisexual," Sasuke said. "I find attraction in both men and women. However, you're the only person I've met I have ever felt like this about."

Naruto kept the eye contact, "So you want me to be with you."

Sasuke nodded slowly, "Yes. I want to be with you."

"And the fact that I'm not a woman would never be a problem?" Naruto asked.

"Would it be for you?"

Naruto paused to think about that. He never kissed Hinata in the handful of dates they went on. He never even felt like he wanted to. He always made passes at Sakura when he was a kid, but he was just that; a kid. The way he reacted to Sasuke now, it was like his entire body burned for the raven. He could feel the blush on his face growing darker and his stomach knotting even tighter. He knew his answer, but could he let this happen?

"No, I don't believe so," Naruto said cautiously.

"Then it won't be an issue for me either," Sasuke said seriously.

Naruto watched as Sasuke's dark eyes burned with his words. The look of them made his head spin a little as he struggled to remember to breathe normally, "Alright."

Sasuke leaned in and gave him a slow, chaste kiss. When he sat back he noticed an uncertainty in Naruto's eyes. His cheeks were warm and pink from the blush that crept across his skin whenever Sasuke touched him, but Sasuke wasn't sure about the look in his beautiful eyes.

"Is anything wrong?" Sasuke asked.

"I… ah… I guess I just don't know how to feel about all this," Naruto said and watched Sasuke's face.

Sasuke's heart clenched uncomfortably hearing the uncertainty in the blonde's voice. He nodded slowly, "That's probably fair."

"It's not necessarily that I don't want it."

"I understand," Sasuke said a little too quickly. He was internally kicking himself for the fact that he was this flustered about this. "What if we keep this quiet for a little while? There's no rush," Sasuke said. "We can take time and just focus on each other. It's no one else's business besides ours anyway. Although, we will probably have to tell our close friends, but there is no reason everyone needs to know right away."

"That sounds… reasonable," Naruto agreed slowly. "You know we will have to tell Avery."

"And Sakura," Sasuke nodded.

"We won't be able to keep it from Sai, Kakashi and Tenzou for long either," Naruto said.

"Probably not," Sasuke agreed.

"We can start with the girls though," he said.

Sasuke nodded with a faint smile on his lips. He hadn't expected talking to Naruto about what was going on to go super well. He couldn't deny that he was a little disappointed about the fact that Naruto was so uncertain. But even the small step the blonde had agreed to would be enough for Sasuke; for now.

 _This will be enough for now,_ he thought as he looked at Naruto, marveled by the beauty of his face and eyes. Now that he was being honest with himself about his feelings, he realized he would take anything Naruto was willing to give him, and he would do anything to truly make Naruto his.

But Sasuke swore someday the blonde would be _his._ He leaned forward and kissed him again and the blonde responded hungrily. It sent thrills through him that Naruto responded so readily to him.

They didn't sleep much that night. Too wrapped up in each other, and learning each other all over again to even think about sleeping. But, by the time that the sun was beginning to rise, the two of them had finally been taken by sleep; wrapped up in each other so tightly that it would have been unlikely that anyone could have pulled them apart from each other… let alone even woken them up.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The next morning carried a heavy feeling in the air for Choji as he lay on his bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn't get his dinner with Karui out of his mind even when he closed his eyes. His dreams had been full of the dark skinned cloud Kunoichi. Red hair and amber eyes so beautiful that they made his knees weak and his breath waver. He knew what he needed to do.

He needed to break up with Ino.

It was a struggle for him to admit that even to himself. He had thought he had wanted Ino for years and years, and now after one night he was really considering leaving her. Was that right? What did it say about him that he was so easily swayed by another woman?

But it didn't matter what anyone else could possibly think about it, because when he had kissed Karui, after walking her back to the guest apartment the night before, it had made him feel alive. More alive than any kiss or touch he had ever shared with Ino.

He knew what needed to be done.

He sighed and got up. He was supposed to have gone to meet Ino and her family for brunch. He had skipped in order to consider what he was doing today. He was breaking it off, it was over between them. The relationship had been tense lately anyway, he knew this was right.

He dressed quickly, not bothering to put on his jutsu. He was going to break up with her as himself, not as what she wanted him to be. He had felt a lot more like himself with Karui, because he was actually allowed to be himself. He combed his hair and slipped his shoes on before he walked out to find his soon to be ex-girlfriend.

He found her standing outside her family's flower shop, talking with Sakura. He took a breath and walked over to the two chatting women.

"Ino," he said as he approached.

Ino turned around to see who called for her and she jumped a little. She hadn't been expecting him the way he looked right now; she was used to how he looked with his thinning jutsu.

"Choji? What's going on? You missed brunch," Ino said with her hands on her hips.

"I know. I need to talk to you. Do you mind Sakura?"

"No, not at all," she said politely. "I'll see you later Ino."

Ino waved to her friend and turned back to her boyfriend. "What is going on?"

"I don't think we should see each other anymore," Choji said. He decided it was better to just get to the point. He was going for quick and painless.

"Excuse me?" Ino asked.

"I'm breaking up with you, Ino," he clarified.

"Why?"

"Think about it Ino, we're not a good fit. We've only been together a couple months and we already can't stand being around each other," he said. "We have to end it before it ruins our friendship or we can't work together anymore."

Ino looked at him, the way he was supposed to be. She knew she had been shallow and selfish, dating him just because he was appearing to be thin. But that didn't mean she should be okay with him breaking up with her did it?

"I'm sorry it came to this," Choji said. "But this is going to be better for both of us."

She nodded once. She sighed and internally fought with herself. Their friendship was too important. "You're right," she said finally.

Choji nodded and gave her a quick hug before he walked away.

She watched him leave with a scowl. She didn't like the idea of having been broken up with, but she knew he was right. But what she didn't understand is what had brought it on so quickly.

Unless it had been that cloud woman she had caught him staring at the day before.

Ino ground her teeth as she thought about that possibility. They were most likely already gone back to their own village, but she would not forget this.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

The first thing that registered in Naruto's sleep-hazy mind was that this bed was far too comfortable to be his own. He opened his eyes and jumped slightly, then winced a little at the amount of soreness in his lower body. That was when he remembered where he was. He carefully sat up, trying to work through the pain he was feeling.

He looked next to him and saw that Sasuke was still asleep. He searched for the time and saw that it was already almost 11 o'clock. He took a breath and slowly worked to stand. There was a significant amount of pain and soreness through his pelvis, legs, and lower back, but it wasn't unbearable. He located his boxers from where Sasuke had thrown them when he took them off for round two the previous night. He bent carefully, wincing again against the slight pain and picked them up. After he put them on he carefully crept out of the room, taking care to be quiet so he wouldn't wake his sleeping lover.

He walked downstairs to locate his clothes. They were still down there from their first round of sex. Sasuke had only taken his boxers upstairs with them the night before. He dressed carefully, but when he had everything in place he realized he couldn't find his jacket.

 _Oh, it's probably still outside,_ he thought to himself. But before he went out to find it, he wanted to find some painkillers. He didn't want it to look like he snuck out of bed to get away from Sasuke, but even after their talk the night before (between the rounds of sex) he still felt like he needed to take a minute for himself.

He wandered into the kitchen and found a glass and got some water. He took a drink while he quietly looked through cabinets until he finally found some painkillers. He popped open the small container and shook one pill out onto his hand and swallowed it. He found a piece of paper and quickly scribbled a note to Sasuke.

Sasuke-

I just wanted to tell you I took one of your painkillers before I left. I need to think about this.

I'll see you later,

-Naruto

He grabbed his shoes off the floor and put them on. When he went outside, he looked toward where he and Sasuke had begun kissing the night before and saw his jacket on the grass. After he picked it up and slipped it on, he walked through the gate and headed home.

Ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Avery turned the page of the book in her lap; the last piece of her family she had. She felt a phantom itch in her right palm, where the Triquetra symbol still showed faintly on her skin. However, her family hadn't been the reason she had gotten her book out. This time she sat pouring over its pages, looking for a particular spell, and trying to figure out permission and guidelines for a particular plan she had started talking to Lady Tsunade about.

A knock on her apartment door startled her. She shut the heavy book and set it aside before she got up and walked out of her bedroom to open the door.

"Naruto," she said with a smile and stepped aside for her friend to come in. He looked tired and she could tell something was on his mind from one look at his face. She probed her empathy toward him and immediately felt his physical discomfort and it made her curious.

"Hey," he said and walked past her into the apartment. His muscles had loosened a bit with the walk, but he hesitated to sit down anywhere in the office for fear Avery would see him wince.

"Did you talk to him?" Avery asked after she closed the door. She walked by him and into her bedroom and sat back down on her bed, expecting him to follow.

"Man you just get right to the point don't you?" Naruto said irritably. He walked into the kitchen and got himself a cup of coffee before he joined her in her bedroom, still hesitant to sit down.

"Is that coffee? You never drink coffee," Avery said with her eyebrow raised daintily.

"I am today," Naruto grumbled slightly.

She chuckled at his grumpy demeanor and decided to poke at him a little, "Well I guess the talk must not have gone that great if you're this grumpy. Although I thought people were generally in a good mood after sex."

A loud disgruntled sound came from Naruto after she said that, "How do you do that?" he asked incredulously.

"Empathy, I can feel your soreness," she said.

"I _really_ hate that damned power."

"Yeah, yeah, come on spill your guts," Avery said impatiently.

Naruto sighed and sat down on her bed next to her. He had been right, he felt himself wince when he sat, but once he settled he was alright. He crossed his legs in front of him and held his coffee in his lap. "What do you want to know?"

"What kind of question is that, I want to know everything," she said expectantly.

So Naruto explained what happened to him the night previous. He explained everything from the awkward exchange before Sasuke pinned him, to the kiss, to the small exchange just before the sex they had and finished with the conversation. He hadn't really expressed his complete uncertainty quite yet, but he knew Avery could feel it.

After he finished Avery was quiet for a few minutes. She took the time to read him and examine how he felt and tried to figure out what he could possibly be thinking.

"So how was it?" she asked.

"How was what?" Naruto asked.

"The sex," Avery laughed. "Come on you had to know I was going to ask."

He laughed at her and for the first time since he woke up, he relaxed completely. "It was… actually really amazing," he said.

Avery smiled at him and reached over to give him a hug, "You'll figure it out."

"I hope so, right now I don't know how to feel about it all," he sighed.

"Yes, well no matter what happens, there is one thing you for sure need to do," she said seriously.

"What?"

"You need to talk to Hinata."

"Oh yeah," he muttered.

"She deserves to hear that it isn't going to go any further from you," she said.

"Yes. I know she does," Naruto said. "I just have to figure out what I am supposed to tell her."

"Well, you can always just go with that you don't see it going very far," Avery suggested.

"Isn't that a cop out?" Naruto asked.

"Not if it's true," she said. "You don't have to tell her about Sasuke or anything like that right now. She just needs to understand you guys aren't going to be together. She doesn't need to be hung up on you."

"I know," Naruto said before he flopped back on the bed.

"Don't worry so much about it," Avery said. She picked her book back up and opened it in her lap. "You'll figure it out in your own time."

Naruto nodded absently and continued to lay there in silence. He listened to the rustle of the pages of her book made when she turned them over. He sighed and rolled onto his side to face her.

"What?" she asked without looking at him.

"Is it… weird… that I want to do it again?"

"What? Sex?"

"Yeah…" Naruto said softly.

She laughed at his question. "You're funny," she said. "No it is not weird that you want to do it again."

Naruto didn't say anything right away. He closed his eyes and thought about what he was supposed to think about all of this. He felt like so much had happened in the last couple of months since the war that his head was spinning. He looked at Avery and saw she was totally focused on what she was doing. It was in that moment he realized that this couldn't be as big a deal as he was making it.

At the same time, he knew he needed to take the time to get used to it.

He spent the rest of the day with Avery. She had gotten into an annoying mood during lunch and asked about details of the night before, which after he had grumbled about it for a few minutes, he had actually given her what she wanted.

Around mid-afternoon, he had left Avery's to go to his own apartment. He wasn't very sore anymore, so he went in and flopped down on his bed. The first thing he noticed was that it was nowhere near as comfortable as Sasuke's. But not only that, it didn't have Sasuke in it. He sighed and covered his eyes with his arm as the realization set in.

He was already in way too deep.

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"What does it mean that he left this morning?" Sasuke asked.

"It means he needed time to himself," Sakura said as she rolled her eyes. "You're paranoid."

Sasuke crossed his arms over his chest. He had gone out to ask Sakura to come over when she was done with her hospital shift so he could tell her what happened the night before. He had been expecting her to be more shocked by the turn of events than she had ended up being. All she had really said to what happened the night before was: "I told you to talk to him, not attack him."

"I'm not paranoid," he sighed.

"Sasuke, you have to realize that this is a lot for him. The whole situation is a lot for someone to take in and process," she said as she leaned toward him. "You avoided him and pushed him away when you came back, now all of a sudden you're confessing to feelings. Deep and very real feelings that he has only ever thought he felt for one person. You have to allow him to work through this on his own terms."

"I hate it when you're right you know," Sasuke glared at her.

"Yeah well, get used to it," she said as she stood. "You'll see; he'll come back when he's ready. And who knows, it might not be for a while, it might be tomorrow. It'll work itself out. You told him, that was the important part. Now it's all up to him."

Sasuke sighed and stood to walk her to the door. He knew she was right. He needed to calm down. He didn't understand what was making him react this way and it was a little concerning. All he wanted was his blonde in his arms and in his bed. He opened the door for her, but she stopped before she left and turned to him.

"You know I know how this feels right?" she asked with her lips curved into a smirk.

That took him a minute to process, but once he realized what she meant he couldn't help the glare that came. Of course she knew what this felt like. It must have been the way she always felt when she was in love with him. The biggest difference was Naruto wasn't necessarily brushing him off the way Sasuke always did to Sakura.

She reached up to touch his cheek lightly, brushing his hair out of his face. "You'll be alright, just give him the time he needs and don't give up," she said.

Sasuke nodded weakly and sighed. He watched her turn away and walk down the path. When she got to the gate she turned and winked at him then left.

The raven shut the door and turned around to lean against it after she left. He knew he was being ridiculous and selfish and weak, but he didn't care. He knew he needed to be patient about this. Deciding he would try, he sighed and pushed himself away from the door to enjoy what he had left of his evening.

Oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

"Thank you for dinner, Senpai," Tenzou said shyly as he and Kakashi approached the mokuton user's apartment. He was trying to hide the giddy feeling he had humming through his body about going on an actual date with the man he had been in love with for so long. While neither of them had really spoken much in the last month about how much they truly mean to each other, they both knew on some level.

"Anytime," Kakashi replied with a smile. The happiness and enjoyment he felt when he was able to spend time with Tenzou only heightened when he saw the smile on his Kouhai's face whenever Kakashi did something nice for him. However, Kakashi knew what Tenzou wanted. He knew why his Kouhai had wanted to come to his apartment instead of going to Kakashi's, but Kakashi feared his Kouhai wasn't ready for such activity yet.

They had tried once, a couple weeks previous. Kakashi had thought because Tenzou had been doing so well around the apartment, not needing to take naps much, that he would be alright. However, they hadn't gotten far before Tenzou was unable to catch his breath and feeling the pain of his low stamina. Kakashi wasn't sure he was ready to push the limits again.

The pair reached the door of the apartment and Tenzou turned to face Kakashi. One look at his Senpai and he knew he was expecting to come inside. There was a reason, or Tenzou at least hoped there was a reason, that they had come to his apartment instead of going to Kakashi's. Tenzou unlocked the door and opened it, leading them inside.

Once they were inside and the door was closed, Tenzou turned to his Senpai. They had been taking it easy for so long that Tenzou had gotten practically giddy when Kakashi said they were going out that night. They had gone on a nice long walk together around the village before they had dinner at one of the nicer restaurants in the village; but Tenzou was hoping the date wasn't over yet.

"Senpai, we-"

"Why don't we watch a movie?" Kakashi suggested before Tenzou could get his sentence out.

Tenzou sighed and nodded in defeat before walking over to the small wooden entertainment center Tenzou had. He had made it a long time ago when he got the apartment and someone had given him a T.V. but he barely used it. He opened the doors to reveal the small television and a DVD player.

"Did you have something specific in mind?" He asked as he turned to see Kakashi was already sitting on the couch.

"No, whatever you want is fine," Kakashi said.

Tenzou nodded and grabbed the first movie he saw out of the small amount of movies he actually owned. He placed it in the DVD player and walked over to sit next to Kakashi.

The movie ended up being a romance film where the man was a business owner in a civilian city that fell in love with a ninja from a small village. She had been on a mission in the city that she ended up having to save his life, and he tried to find her after. It was by all definitions a sappy movie, and Tenzou was positive someone had to have given it to him because he had not even seen it before.

However, Tenzou wondered if he could figure out a way to use this accidental choice of bad movie to his advantage. They were about halfway through the movie, Kakashi watching the screen with his usual bored expression, while Tenzou sat very close next to him. It didn't take much for him to lean over and snuggle into Kakashi.

Kakashi looked down out of the corner of his eye at his Kouhai snuggled up to him. He looked back up at the screen and tried not to let it affect the way he was thinking about the situation. He still didn't want to push Tenzou too far; the man _had_ almost died after all. But when he felt the brunette's sneaky fingers on his thigh, tracing large circles over the fabric covering his leg, he felt his body react. Even just the little tiny bit of contact had heat rushing through his body.

By the time the movie approached the dramatically built up to and tension filled sex scene, Kakashi already felt like he would snap. However, Tenzou decided he would make it worse for him, Kakashi thought, since Tenzou had boldly ghosted his hand across Kakashi's half hard cock.

Kakashi bolted up from his seat on the couch. He cursed himself for not having more control, but he also had to realize it had been a long time since he had been physical with someone. Not only that, but he had never wanted someone more than he wanted Tenzou. Kakashi turned back toward his Kouhai, only to have to hold back the groan at the look of determination written across Tenzou's innocent face.

Tenzou stood slowly and stepped toward him. Once he was in front of Kakashi, he reached up slowly to roll down the mask his Senpai always wore when he went out in public. Tenzou had been getting used to seeing him without it because he didn't wear it as often around his apartment, though sometimes he still did. Tenzou slowly folded the material neatly around his neck. His fingers lingered on the skin of his Senpai's slender neck and he leaned toward him.

"Tenzou," Kakashi sighed. He took hold of the younger man's hips and held him firmly.

"Kakashi, I am strong enough," Tenzou said softly. "I've had plenty of recovery. We went out tonight, I'm not even winded. I'm not unable to stand. I'm not wobbly or in danger of falling over my own feet," he said and caressed Kakashi's cheek with his fingertips. "You stopped yourself last time because I was still too weak. That isn't the case now."

Kakashi sighed softly as he gazed into the large brown eyes of his Kouhai. He knew it had been a fair amount of time since the last time, but he was so afraid of causing Tenzou to be in pain.

"Kakashi," Tenzou said again.

"Are you sure?" he asked softly. He raised one hand up to graze his cheek. Tenzou's skin was soft and smooth under his fingers.

"Yes Senpai," he said softly.

 _How can that the same name he always calls me is sound so… erotic in these circumstances?_ Kakashi thought as he leaned down to gently kiss Tenzou's soft lips.

The reaction Tenzou had to just a simple, soft kiss was overwhelming. He wrapped his arms around Kakashi's neck, pulling him closer and knotting his fingers in his Senpai's soft silver hair. He felt Kakashi's lips press harder against his and move more frantically as they stumbled toward Tenzou's room, leaving their movie on and forgotten in the living room.

Once they managed to get in the room, Kakashi tossed Tenzou onto the bed and was crawling over him before the brunette had settled on the mattress. He bent to kiss him again, their tongues clashing passionately as they tore at each other's clothing. They had rid each other of their vests without breaking the kiss, and only broke apart long enough for each of them to rip their shirts over their heads before they came together again.

When Tenzou felt Kakashi's hips grind against his, he felt a rush of heat straight to his groin. He cried into Kakashi's mouth as his back arched up off the mattress and pressed their bare chests together. The skin to skin contact made the heat and fire buildup so much more intense that Tenzou wasn't sure he could take it anymore.

Kakashi gripped Tenzou's hair and pulled his head to the side, exposing his Kouhai's strong neck to his lips. He kissed and suckled on the skin there before he kissed a trail down over his collar bone and across his chest. He heard the sharp intake of breath as he flicked his tongue over Tenzou's nipple before he continued his path down the younger man's body.

When he got to the waistband of Tenzou's pants, Kakashi tucked his fingertips under it and slowly pulled them down, grazing his nails over Tenzou's legs. Kakashi heard the moan Tenzou let out and smirked a little before he began kissing up the inside of his Kouhai's thigh. Kakashi wrapped his hand around the base of Tenzou's hardening cock before he took the tip into his mouth and sucked hard.

"Ah!" Tenzou cried as his back arched off the mattress. Pleasure wracked through his body as Kakashi took more of him into his mouth. He reached his hand down to tangle in the silver locks, moaning softly every time Kakashi's tongue swirled around him. He sucked in a sharp breath when Kakashi dragged his tongue up the underside of his cock, and his hips buckled when Kakashi flicked his tongue over the tip of his throbbing member.

Kakashi knew from the sounds Tenzou was making that he wouldn't last long like this. He removed his mouth and pumped Tenzou's hardness with his hand while he reached to look in the nightstand. He found exactly what he was looking for in the first drawer. He plucked out the small bottle of oil and popped the cap off. He released Tenzou's cock to lather some of the oil on his fingers.

"Are you sure?" he breathed softly as he probed Tenzou's entrance with his oiled fingers.

Tenzou raised a hand to Kakashi's cheek and stroked it with his thumb. "Yes, Senpai… Please," he gasped.

Kakashi pressed a finger inside Tenzou's entrance and was met with tight warmth, no resistance. He pulled it back out and felt as Tenzou clenched around him. Kakashi could feel his own body reacting to how Tenzou's body reacted to him. He definitely wanted him. He heard Tenzou's breath quicken and he pushed in with two fingers. Tenzou stiffened around his fingers, so Kakashi waited for him to relax before he continued stretching him.

Kakashi got off the bed just long enough to drop his own pants. Tenzou bit his lip seeing Kakashi naked in front of him, heat coursing through him as he thought about what was coming. He raised his arms to Kakashi as he came back and circled them around his neck. He kissed him hard as Kakashi positioned himself over him. Kakashi pressed into him and Tenzou gasped and tried to keep his breathing even and as he relaxed he felt Kakashi slide all the way inside of him.

Stars exploded behind their eyes as they both gasped deeply at the burning pleasure they both felt. Kakashi groaned low in his throat at the tight warmth he felt around him. He had never wanted, never craved someone so much in his entire life. It was like every moment they spent together leading up to this moment just made it that much better. He slowly moved out and thrust back in, hearing Tenzou moan softly.

"Haaa…. Senpai…" Tenzou moaned softly as Kakashi moved inside him. He felt Kakashi's nails dig into his thighs, spreading him wide as he quickened his pace steadily. Tenzou moaned again and dug his nails into his Senpai's back. After all the time he spent pining for him, then the time they were together but he was still recovering, he felt he had waited a lifetime for this; waited a lifetime for Kakashi himself. Tenzou bit into the crook of Kakashi's neck and in response, his Senpai bucked into him hard, causing Tenzou to cry out.

"Yes… oh yes…" Tenzou panted and moaned. Kakashi responded by slamming hard into Tenzou's prostate with a low growl. Tenzou dragged his nails hard down Kakashi's back and sucked on his earlobe, causing Kakashi to fuck him harder. They continued to float higher and higher toward cloud nine, lost completely in each other.

Kakashi captured Tenzou's lips with his as he bent over him, using one arm for balance, while the other hand remained on Tenzou's thighs. He rolled hard into him causing Tenzou to cry out loudly into his mouth. Kakashi broke off and moved his lips to Tenzou's neck, sucking on the skin there as Tenzou dug his nails in harder.

"Kakashi… I… Haaa.."

"Tenzou," he breathed into his ear, licking the shell delicately. He felt Tenzou's nails dig in harder into his back and he bucked harder. That last thrust was too much for Tenzou and he came. Kakashi thrust a few more times before he came inside Tenzou, riding out the intense orgasm before he collapsed next to him.

They both lay together for a few minutes, slowing their heartbeats and their breathing. Tenzou reached into the bedside table to grab the small pack of wet wipes he had in there to clean his cum off himself and tossed it into the small trash next to the bed before he relaxed.

"Tenzou," Kakashi said from beside him.

Tenzou looked over at his Senpai with half lidded eyes, "hmm?" he asked sleepily.

"I love you," he whispered.

Tenzou's eyes flew wide open at that. He stared at his Senpai with almost disbelief as he tried to stop the somersaults his heart was doing in his chest.

"Wh-what?"

"I love you, Tenzou," Kakashi said softly. He rolled to his side and cupped Tenzou's face with his hand. His large brown eyes were wide as he stared at him. Kakashi smiled, "I know we've only been together a month or so, but we've known each other for a long time. I've loved you for a long time, and I can't keep it from you any longer," he explained. He ran his hand through Tenzou's soft brown hair and leaned over to kiss his forehead.

Tenzou closed his eyes and smiled feeling Kakashi's lips on his forehead. His heart was hammering in his chest and he slid closer to Kakashi and nuzzled into the crook of his neck. "I love you, too," he said softly.

Kakashi wrapped his arms around Tenzou and settled into the position, "Go to sleep," he said softly and closed his eyes. His heart warming at the feeling of going to sleep with the man he loved in his arms.


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimers: I do not own Naruto or anything else mentioned in this fic. This chapter is going to contain more of Avery's world a little bit. It is also very, very long.

Warning: FEELS. All the feels. Many much feels… you've been warned.

 _Chapter Twenty-Four_

The next month passed uneventfully. Missions were assigned and completed, relationships were tested and continued to grow. Some relationships were newly established and blooming. The whole village was in a graceful peace that no one could ever seem to remember it being in before.

Choji had requested a trip to the cloud from Tsunade and after a few conversations as to if he would be going alone or taking a friend, he decided he would take Shikamaru with him. Together they made the long journey to the cloud and Choji found Karui so he could ask her on another date. They didn't become official, but Karui promised she would try to come back to the leaf soon as she was saying goodbye to the two friends.

On the way back from the cloud, the two ran into a couple sand ninja. Not any sand ninja, but Temari and Kankuro, doing business in the land of lightning. As any good wingman would, Choji suggested Shikamaru and Temari should go for a walk together and he hung out with Kankuro while they did.

Shikamaru nervously stuck his hands in the pockets on his Chunin vest. He didn't really know what to say to Temari, which he realized seemed ridiculous since he had no problem coming on to Avery. Temari was just so much more of a mystery to him; he wasn't sure how to approach the situation.

"How have things been since the war?"

"Good… actually they've been really great. We have gotten so many missions done that we hadn't really had a chance to get done before," Temari responded.

"Yeah, we have had a similar pattern. A lot of pushed back scouting missions," Shikamaru said. He looked up at her at the same time she looked up at him and she looked away blushing.

"I hope you're not too upset with Avery," Shikamaru said after a few silent moments.

"No, we actually made up just before she went to heal everyone after the war," Temari replied. Then she looked over at him with a skeptical look, "How did you know I was upset with her at all?"

"When I saw her the day after you and Kankuro left, she basically told me to go away. I figured it had something to do with your friendship. I know she values you as a friend," Shikamaru said.

"I value her too. She's really special," Temari said with a soft smile.

They walked in another comfortable silence, making a loop around the nearby town. They talked some more about how they had been including how Shikamaru had been adjusting without his dad and Temari trying to figure out why Gaara didn't want to come back to the leaf.

"It's very strange, every time I ask him if he wants to go, he avoids the question," Temari said.

"Is he upset with us?"

"Not at all, and I know he misses Avery, but he doesn't want to actually go to the village. He's going to have to, Avery and Tsunade invited the three of us to come out there in a few weeks."

"Well, he'll have to get over it because Avery will go drag him to the leaf," he said.

"I know, and I think he does too," she laughed.

Once they finished their walk, they said goodbye with a promise to see each other soon. Shikamaru and Choji laughed together about the fact that they had been each other's wingman for the trip and finished the trip home uneventfully.

Also within the last month, Sai had been spending more time with Ino. Each encounter had been just as friends, as the artist had been too nervous about her having just recently been dumped. He wanted to give her time, but he also knew he wanted to tell her how he felt. He realized his feelings were way too contradicting. But he continued anyway.

Tenten and Neji grew closer every day. They went on dates, met each other's families, and even took a trip together out of the village. Lee and Gai were so happy for them that people stopped bringing them up around either one of them, because the reaction they would give was so over the top that people avoided it at all costs.

Neji's entire family really liked Tenten, and they all seemed to agree that the two would go far as a couple. The approval of the Hyuuga was something Neji had been a little concerned about, but at the same time, he had also told Tenten what they thought wouldn't deter him from her, which had been true. He loved her too much for his family's opinion to matter to him.

As for Naruto and Sasuke, they were going around in circles it seemed. They had slept together a few more times in the month, each time they would fall asleep and Naruto would leave in the morning. Once Sasuke had woken before Naruto and made breakfast and convinced him to stay and eat with him, but he hadn't stayed long after.

The third time they had gotten together Sasuke had decided he was curious enough to ask Naruto about being the bottom. Naruto expressed an equal interest in the top position.

"I mean, you've topped for me twice now, and while I like it, I want to know what the top is like too," Naruto said.

"Hn… we probably could switch," Sasuke said as he ran his hands up Naruto's bare chest.

"If that's the case," Naruto said before he surged forward and flipped the Uchiha onto his back.

Afterwards, they had both decided they liked both positions, and would switch off. And even though they had spent time talking and laughing together before and after the sex that night, Naruto still left in the morning.

Sasuke was starting to worry Naruto was ashamed of what they were doing. That he was only doing it because it felt good, or that he liked the attention he was getting from the raven. Sasuke wanted more from Naruto, but he wasn't sure they would ever get there anymore.

Naruto's side of it was that he was nervous about the Uchiha. He had every right and reason to be. Sasuke ran from the village once. He had also claimed he would destroy the village before, and while he had been pardoned of his crimes, and Naruto couldn't be happier about it, Naruto was nervous about where his childhood rival was with commitment.

Avery constantly told him he was being ridiculous, but he just shrugged it off. He just needed more time to decide how he felt about it.

The month had proven to be a month of growth and slight conflict in Avery's friends. But she had a plan she had been planning with Tsunade that she was carrying out today. She sat on her bed with her book and ran her fingers over the cover. The spell she had needed for what she was doing was already copied onto a piece of paper and folded in her pocket. She was wearing her favorite pair of converse with jeans and a black t-shirt with a Konoha green jacket that was zipped halfway up. She sighed a little and smiled as she thought of her parents. She loved them, but she wasn't sure she was ready to try and see them again, so she would skip herself today. But the others deserved a little reunion.

A knock sounded on her door and she slid off her bed. She placed her book back in its hiding place under a loose floorboard under her bed. After the floorboard was replaced without looking like it had ever been moved, she went to answer the door.

"You ready to go?" Kakashi asked. He had told her he would walk with her to Tsunade's office for the meeting. No one except Avery and Tsunade knew why they were gathering. It was all a big surprise.

"Yes, I'm ready," she said stepping out and pulling the door closed. She locked the door and then turned back to Kakashi, "Where's Tenzou?"

"He's going to meet us down the road a bit," he said. He was wearing his Jounin uniform complete with his usual facemask and bored look firmly in place.

Together they walked toward the Hokage building in silence. About two paths away Tenzou met up with them and quietly took Kakashi's hand. Avery smiled to herself as they walked. It warmed her heart that the two of them were finally being honest about their feelings.

"So what are we meeting for anyway?" Tenzou asked as they walked up the last set of stairs toward Tsunade's office.

"You'll find out soon enough," Avery said. She opened the door and the three of them walked into Tsunade's office. They were not the first ones there (of course since Kakashi oversaw when they left, though Avery was sure Tenzou kept him from being too late). The three sand siblings had been invited over for whatever was happening and had arrived in the village early that morning. Shizune and Sakura were also there already, obviously; as well as Sasuke and then Obito, who probably also tried to keep Kakashi on time.

"Wow, I guess some people do grow out of being late to everything," Kakashi said when he saw Obito.

Or not…

"Well I can't be late to everything forever," he said.

"Wait, you two live together didn't you keep each other on time?"

"No, I was at Tenzou's last night," Kakashi said.

"So wait…" Avery said as she looked back and forth between Kakashi and Obito. "Are you always late because of him?"

"Yes," Tenzou said.

"Yes," Kakashi confirmed. "Tenzou already knew that."

"Who are we still waiting for?" Tsunade interrupted eyeing the recent couple.

Tenzou clearly kept Kakashi from being so late she wanted to smack him. However Kakashi also seemed to have influence over the usually overly punctual Tenzou. She looked around at the rest of the group, but she couldn't seem to remember who else was supposed to be there.

"Naruto," Avery said thinking. "Maybe we should start without him though. I think he told me he was training with Konohamaru this morning."

When Tsunade nodded, Avery looked around the room. They had pushed Tsunade's desk out of the way and were standing around a circle of lit candles that Sakura had been nice enough to lay out for her. She took the piece of paper in her pocket out and opened it to read it. She didn't need to say it out loud; she knew she would just need to say it to herself once, then one at a time…

"Where should we start?" she asked Tsunade.

Tsunade looked around at everyone in the room before she answered, "Sasuke."

Avery nodded and looked toward the raven. "Sasuke, would you come over here?" she asked from the front of the room.

Sasuke didn't move at first. He glanced at Tsunade, who just nodded encouragingly. Finally he moved hesitantly over to stand next to the blue haired girl.

"Close your eyes."

The raven looked at her like he was going to ask why. He decided she probably wouldn't tell him even if he did ask though, so he just did as he was told and closed his eyes.

After waving her hand in front of his face to make sure his eyes were actually closed, Avery stood behind him. She said the spell to herself as she focused on Sasuke, putting forward the thoughts she would need to summon who she wanted to appear in front of him.

Seconds later, two people appeared in the circle of candles; a man and a woman. They were both showing as spirits. The woman looked very much like Sasuke. She had long black with warm charcoal eyes and pale skin. She was wearing a dark purple shirt with a tan dress. The man was tall and brunette with stern eyes and an almost mean expression on his face. His arms were folded across his chest in his teal shirt and black pants.

The woman put her hand over her mouth in surprise of seeing Sasuke in front of her. She stepped forward, materializing as soon as she passed the line the candles made. She approached Sasuke as silent as a whisper, reaching her hand out to him.

Sasuke's entire body stiffened when he felt gentle fingers brush the hair back from his face. He didn't open his eyes, but he could tell who it was in front of him. He could smell her familiar scent, could feel the comfort she gave him. How was it possible?

"Sasuke," the woman breathed.

Sasuke didn't open his eyes, didn't speak. He immediately broke down into tears, both his hands flying up to cover his mouth. The woman threw her arms around him and cradled him to her chest. She was holding him firmly, like she was afraid he would vanish if she let go.

After many minutes of the woman clutching him and Sasuke sobbing into her shoulder, she held him out at arm length. "You've grown up so much," she whispered looking over him. "Oh Sasuke… Sasuke I love you so, so much."

"Mom," he breathed and reached for her. She accepted his embrace warmly. Tears were springing up into her eyes as well as she ran her hand over his hair, holding him tight. Even though she knew she was dead, she was gone, she was still so capable of any emotion a living person would have right now.

"Sasuke," the man's deep voice said as he approached them from the side.

Sasuke immediately snapped to attention hearing his father's voice. "Yes sir," he said bowing his head as an automatic response to his father. Even after all these years, he was still bound by the respect that was ground into him as a child. He turned away from his mother toward him, nervous about what he might say.

His father stood there looking at his younger son. Sasuke had subconsciously become dutifully respectful of him, like it was almost fear driven. Emotion clung to him, and in one motion he gripped the boy's shoulders and pulled him into one of the only hugs Fugaku Uchiha had ever given him.

Sasuke was shocked by the sudden unusual behavior of his father. He stood there in his embrace for a few minutes without moving. Eventually he lifted his arms to wrap around his father as he cried into his chest. He couldn't help it; he was too overwhelmed by seeing them again.

"We're so proud of you," Fugaku whispered.

"Really we are," his mother, Mikoto, said in agreement as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

Sasuke pulled away from his father, staring back and forth at both of them in total disbelief. "How could you be? I have strayed so much."

"Straying is easy. Coming back after you've been so astray, that is harder," Fugaku said. His strong, powerful voice almost sounded stern as he spoke.

"Everyone strays a little sometimes," Mikoto added softly. "True strength shines the brightest when you manage to return to the light."

"Something we were too blinded to do in our lifetime," Fugaku said almost sadly.

"We know you know the truth about what happened with Itachi," Mikoto said. When Sasuke nodded, she smiled tenderly, "I hope you can bring yourself to forgive him as we have."

Sasuke nodded, tears stinging his eyes. He hadn't even thought about him in this instance, but he immediately wanted to see him again too.

"Almost perfect," she sighed as Fugaku touched her shoulder from the other side of Sasuke.

Sasuke smiled almost sadly and looked back at Avery, with a pleading look in his eyes. He wanted to see his brother again on good terms. He was over being angry with him.

Itachi had already been a part of Avery's plan for this. So when her eyes met Sasuke's, she just smiled. She closed her eyes for a moment like she had when Sasuke's parents had appeared. Only this time when she opened her eyes, it was Itachi in the circle.

"No," Itachi groaned as soon as he saw who was in front of him. He backed away from where he was standing. He stepped out of the circle of candles without paying attention and backed into Tsunade's desk. Tsunade had moved when she saw that he was backing up and was standing to the side of the desk now.

"No, no, no, no, no," he moaned and turned and walked to the left, trying to get away from the last people his heart could ever handle seeing. He crouched down as pain took over and he held his head.

Sasuke immediately tried to go to him, but Mikoto held her arm out in front of him and Fugaku placed his hands on his shoulders. "Stay," Mikoto said.

Slowly, Mikoto made her way over to her eldest son. She walked right up to him before dropping into a crouch in front of him. She reached out to him and touched his shoulder. He didn't move when her hand landed on his shoulder, he just went rigid and stopped breathing.

"Itachi," she said quietly. He still refused to move, "Itachi, look at me."

He stayed still a little longer, but he knew he couldn't ignore a direct order from his mother. Itachi eventually looked up, meeting his mother's gaze. He was immediately overcome with so much sorrow, he began to cry. He allowed himself to be pulled into her embrace as he sobbed silently.

"Shh, it's okay," she crooned over and over, trying to comfort her first child. She stroked his hair and held him close to her, just repeating those words. Eventually, once Itachi's shoulders had stopped shaking, she stood and pulled him to his feet. Then she led him back over to where Fugaku and Sasuke were waiting for them.

Once they came back over, Fugaku released Sasuke and laid a hand on Itachi's shoulder. "I'm proud of both of you," he said quietly.

Itachi's heart squeezed uncomfortably at his father's words. He tried to shake his head but his mother just squeezed his arm.

"You are noble, Itachi. Don't discount your father's words," she scolded lightly.

"Yes mother," he said quietly. He knew how his parents felt about him. They told him they were proud of him as he cried before he killed them. The memory had haunted him for the rest of his life. In the end, he had been happy Sasuke had been the one to kill him. He had never intended for Sasuke to find out the truth, but after what happened while he had been reanimated, he was alright with it.

 _Oh the reanimation…_ he thought suddenly. _I wonder if that Avery girl is still around._

Even full of strong, heartbreaking emotions that made tears sting in her eyes, Avery found Itachi's voice irresistible. She was trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she was hearing it again. It was so much better than her dreams; her subconscious didn't do it justice.

"Now it's perfect," Mikoto said smiling at her sons and husband.

"Not quite."

Everyone in the room looked around, startled, trying to find the voice they had all heard. In a flash of white, golden light, a woman with dark skin in white robes appeared before them all.

Panic flooded Avery when she saw the woman. Even though she didn't look like one of the elders of her world, she figured there could have been only one reason for her visit. She didn't understand though, "I have permission to be doing this!" she shouted while she tried to shield the reunited Uchihas with her body.

The woman just held up her hand to Avery, telling her to stop. "I am not here to take them away, Miss Moran. Exactly the opposite actually," she said in a smooth calm voice.

"What do you mean?" Avery asked cautiously.

"I'm here for Itachi," the woman replied calmly.

"You just said-" Sasuke started.

"I am not here to take him away," she interrupted him. She turned toward Itachi and smiled warmly. "I have been in contact with those that watch over your land. We know of the endless sacrifices you had to make in your short life. You lived and died not only for your village, but also for your brother."

Everyone was totally silence while she was talking. Itachi was staring at her like she was going to say she was just kidding at any second and take him away. When nothing happened, he finally spoke, "Who are you?"

"My identity is not important. Although if you need an answer, then I would tell you I am an Angel of Destiny," she replied simply.

"I've heard of you," Avery said then. "You work with the elders."

"Not necessarily, though they are the ones that decided to send me," she said. She focused her attention back on Itachi while everyone looked to Avery for answers.

"Who is she?" Sasuke asked the witch.

"She's a being of the world I came from. She helps to keep the universe in balance and in special circumstances, she comes and offers ultimatums or helps to solve conflicts that keep the world in balance," she said.

"It was my interference that kept the elders from sending the cleaners after you when you outed your powers to your new friends," she said then. "The elders were weary of them and whether they should know of you, but after consideration, they changed their minds."

Avery's heart clenched as she considered that. She hadn't even thought about showing her powers here, she had just done it. She hadn't questioned it or anything, it had just happened.

"What do the cleaners do?" Temari asked.

"They wipe away any trace of magical signature when magic is exposed," Avery explained. "Where I come from, anyone non magical doesn't know about the existence of magic. We hide our powers and abilities as much as possible. The only people that have ever seen my powers are people I saved from demons. A few of my family members were non magical, they were aware of the family secret as well."

"We knew you all were different, however. You would be able to handle the secret of magic and its existence without it being toxic. And with Avery having just lost her entire family, we deemed it best to leave you," the angel continued.

"Thank you," Avery said respectfully.

"You're welcome. Now for what I actually came for," she said and turned her attention, once again, to Itachi.

"What is it you need of me?" he asked hesitantly.

"Nothing, just an answer… we have decided to offer you your life."

Sasuke gasped from his place between Itachi and his father. His mother on the other side covered her mouth as she held onto Itachi's shoulder. The woman continued.

"You would be truly alive again. This would be another chance to get to have a life in the village you've done so much to protect; a chance to be happy and free, and a chance to really know Sasuke."

Itachi was totally frozen in place. His breaths were coming so fast from the shock he was practically panting. He would have given anything to be able to know Sasuke in his life. Could he really let it happen now? Was it too late? Not to mention he would be part of the very village he loved as much as his own brother.

He looked away from the stranger toward Lady Tsunade. He knew she was Hokage and if she had any reservations against him being alive in her village that it wasn't worth it to do it. "Lady Tsunade?" he asked weakly.

"We would be happy to have you back in the village, Itachi," Tsunade answered his unspoken question. "This is totally up to you."

"You knew about this!" Avery shouted at Tsunade.

"Yes, she came and confronted me about it weeks ago when we started planning this," Tsunade admitted.

Itachi's eyes had frozen on Avery. She was still here, and even more beautiful than he remembered from the reanimation. He didn't even know if she remembered him. He tore his eyes away and took a settling breath before he looked at Sasuke. "What do you think?" he asked.

After just barely resisting the temptation to just simply say "please?" Sasuke actually thought about what he wanted to say. "I spent the first years of my life chasing after you, wishing I could keep up. Then I proceeded to spend the next decade hating you and striving to kill you. I never got the chance to know my big brother. Maybe this is our chance, Itachi."

A sort of sadness washed over Itachi at his brother's words. They squeezed at his heart and knotted in his stomach. He knew Sasuke was right, and he felt the same way. He wanted to know his brother; he was the only family the crow had left in the world. And, at the same time, he himself would also be the only family the raven had in return.

He took a deep breath as he tried to decide what he was going to do. It seemed that Tsunade was on board, and Sasuke clearly wanted it… but what of the rest of the village? No one ever knew the truth of what Itachi had done before. Tsunade must have been told by the woman in front of them, and no one else in the room was looking at him maliciously… did that really mean he could come home?

He already knew his answer.

The strange woman held her hand out, palm up, where a small ball of light appeared in it. It sent a strange feeling of electricity running through Itachi and he knew it was his life source. He took a slow step toward her, walking around Sasuke and his mother, walking around the circle of candles, to meet her on the left side of the room. Only once he was standing directly in front of her did he show his hesitation.

"What do I do?" He asked.

"Just touch the light," she said simply.

Itachi raised his hand and reached for the ball, stopping just short of touching it. Here he was, inches from the possibility of a new chance at life, and he was hesitating. He was thinking more about what life in the village could be like. On one hand, he knew he would get to know Sasuke, and that made him itchy to touch the ball. It was what made him walk over here. On the other hand, Avery lived in this village. The thought that he could really meet her, get to know her…. and that thought terrified him.

 _Get a grip, Itachi,_ he thought to himself. _Don't be a chicken shit._

He let out the deep breath he didn't realize he had been holding and extended his hand the last few inches to the small glowing ball. He immediately was overwhelmed by an excruciatingly warm sensation, like flames, that ran through his veins all over his body. He gasped and fell to his knees in front of her as he struggled to inhale and breathe deeply; breathe very _real_ breath.

He was alive again.

The flame sensation dissipated and he was able to breathe more evenly. He stayed where he was, unable to will himself to get up just yet. He wondered if it would take long to get used to being alive again.

"Your abilities, along with your life, have all been completely restored. That includes your eyes," she said. When his eyes snapped up to hers, she continued. "It didn't feel right to bring you back half blind, though it will be a few weeks before you can use any of your abilities. You need to build chakra up. And while we couldn't give you eternal eyes like Sasuke has, but this should definitely buy you some time, especially if you ease up on how much you use the mangekyo."

Itachi glanced back at Sasuke, who just raised his eyebrow at him.

"Also, we reserve the right to reverse this, should you ever stray off the right path," she warned.

"Like going against the village?" he asked wearily. That would never happen.

"Yes," she replied. "Not that we have any reason to believe you would."

"No ma'am," Itachi said bowing his head. If there was anything Itachi had always been, it was respectful.

"Raise your head, dear," she said. When he did look up she smiled warmly at him and touched his cheek. "Have a good life," she said.

"Yes ma'am."

With that, she vanished from the room the same way she had come. Itachi stayed where he was, knelt down on the floor. He was having a hard time wrapping his head around the fact that he was alive. He felt a hand on his shoulder and when he looked to see who it belonged to, he found himself looking into the eyes of his beloved younger brother. He couldn't stop the smile from spreading across his face.

He would _finally_ get to know his brother.

Sasuke held a hand out to Itachi to help him to his feet. Itachi took it willingly and turned to his brother as soon as he was standing. They were both so filled with emotion that they were unwilling to let too much of show, but Itachi couldn't resist pulling the younger Uchiha into a tight embrace. The hug only lasted a few seconds before they parted and Sasuke stood smiling, actually smiling, at his older brother.

So Itachi poked Sasuke lightly on the forehead.

"Seriously? Come on man!" Sasuke complained as he swatted Itachi's hand away from his face. Itachi just laughed at his younger brother. So much joy and happiness seeped into the sound that Sasuke couldn't help but begin to laugh as well.

"Aww you used to do that all the time," Mikoto said as she and Fugaku joined the reunited brothers. "It would always piss Sasuke off."

"Oh it still does," Sasuke grumbled light heartedly. He was having a hard time sounding like he was irritated with the smile on his face.

The four Uchiha all smiled and hugged each other. Mikoto was taking in the bliss of the moment and she sighed happily. "Now it's perfect," she whispered as she held her boys.

Avery wiped a tear off her cheek that had fallen from her eye during the emotional reunion and moment for the Uchiha family. She took a settling breath and turned toward the circle of candles, somewhere in the back of her mind wondering if Itachi had his reanimation memories. Did he remember her?

She couldn't worry about that right now though; she had more to her plan to fulfill.

She glanced over at the sand siblings. Temari and Kankuro were both smiling at the happiness of the reunited Uchiha family, while Gaara stood watching curiously. Avery recalled talking to Gaara about his past and childhood, months ago when she was living in the sand. Their mother had died at birth, and his father had made the entire village fear him for the sand demon sealed inside him. She had a more accurate understanding of what the sand demon was like for him after meeting Naruto, as by the time she had met Gaara, he no longer had the demon.

She had considered what she was going to do for the siblings carefully. It seemed none of them had the best relationship with their father, and they had just seen him as a reanimation during the war. On the other hand, Gaara didn't even know their mother, but Avery knew Temari and Kankuro did. One night while she was in the sand, Temari had told her about their mother and how much they missed her.

All that made Avery's decision fairly easy to make, and she closed her eyes.

A small-framed brunette woman appeared in the circle. She had short tawny brown hair and bright, wide indigo eyes. She looked around the room in extreme confusion as she realized she wasn't in her village. It wasn't until a gasp could be heard toward the right side of the room that her attention snapped to one spot in particular: the sand trio.

"Mom!" Temari cried.

"My babies!" The woman wailed as she ran the few steps toward her children. She became solid as soon as she crossed the line the candles made and Temari and Kankuro wrapped their arms around her the second she was within reach. She had to reach up to kiss Kankuro's cheek before she just turned her head to kiss Temari's. She held them both as tight as she could as the two young shinobi were crying onto her shoulders. Both of them were holding on so tightly; unwilling to let go or she might vanish.

It wasn't until deep indigo eyes landed on aqua that she released her older two children. Gaara hadn't moved a muscle, hadn't flinched or hardly blinked seeing Karura there. He stood frozen, still as a statue, as she walked past his elder siblings toward him. She didn't say anything as she approached him. But, once she had stopped in front of him, her arms flew around his neck and she crushed him to her chest as tightly as she could, tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

Gaara stayed motionless as Karura held him. His arms stayed at his sides, completely immobile, as she cried onto his shoulder. She finally stepped back after a long moment and sniffed lightly, "You don't know me… do you?"

At first, it didn't look like Gaara was going to say anything. Finally he found his tongue, "You're my mother," he breathed.

"We wouldn't have let him not know who you are," Temari said. "I could never dishonor you that way."

Karura smiled and nodded once at Temari before she turned back to Gaara. She watched him carefully, wondering what he could possibly be thinking. He looked lost, like he wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. She watched as he closed his eyes and held his breath.

"What is it, honey?" she asked him almost pleadingly.

"Can… can I ask you something?" he asked in a voice barely louder than a whisper.

"Yes, anything."

Gaara took a deep, shaky breath before he opened his eyes. They were shimmering with unshed tears as he looked right at her.

"Do you love me?"

That question caught Karura off guard and she could feel her heart breaking. The genuine uncertainty swirling in his bright eyes made a fresh wave of tears flow onto her cheeks.

"Gaara… Of course I do… my baby," she breathed. "I love you so much," she said as she reached for him again, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tightly.

Gaara didn't stand still this time. He brought his arms up and returned the hug. He held onto her tightly as he began to cry onto her shoulder. His hands were linked behind her and he buried his face into her shoulder, unable to hold back any longer. Karura's response was to just stroke his hair soothingly and continue to tell him how much she loved him.

Temari and Kankuro came over to join the hug after a moment. Karura smiled, gripping onto all three of her children and smiling through her tears. She never imagined getting to hold her children as adults. That was when she realized she had no idea how she had gotten to wherever she was.

She released her children and turned to look around again. She didn't totally recognize the room. It looked familiar, but like it had changed.

"It this…?" she asked absently.

"The Hidden Leaf," Temari said.

"But how?"

"Essentially, you're a ghost," Avery said, drawing the attention of everyone in the room. "This spell I'm using has been in my family for generations. It can summon dead spirits," she explained. Although there were some limitations she hadn't gotten to, but she would get to them soon.

"How? How is any of this even possible? How can you do that?"

"She's not like us," Gaara said. "She's special."

Karura looked at her son and saw the amount of trust and affection there for the blue haired woman. She nodded once at him before she looked back at Avery.

"So… I'm visiting then?"

"Yes… something like that," Avery said with a warm smile.

Karura's eyes softened at Avery and tears flowed freely onto her cheeks again. She walked toward the girl and hugged her tightly. "Thank you," she whispered before releasing her and going back to her children.

Avery wiped her own tears away again and took a settling breath to center herself again. She looked around the room as she thought about the next step. Naruto still wasn't here, so she needed to wait for him, but that didn't mean…

She closed her eyes and concentrated on the next person she was going to call for. It didn't take as long to connect with this person, and after just a few seconds, another person appeared in the circle.

"What am I doing-?"

"Jiraiya," Tsunade said with an almost sad smile on her face.

The toad sage turned to see Tsunade behind him and smiled warmly before walking over to her. He was going in for a hug, but it seemed Tsunade had a different idea and punched him in the arm hard enough for him to reel backwards.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"You idiot! You were supposed to come back _alive!_ " Tsunade shouted at him.

"Hey! Look at it this way, you finally won a bet… woah now," he said holding his hands up in surrender at the murderous look on her face. "Just calm down," he said trying not to laugh.

Tsunade sighed and just shook her head, "we weren't ready to lose you."

"No one ever is, Tsunade," Jiraiya replied with a grin. He looked around then, saying hello to everyone and noticed his apprentice was absent. "Where's Naruto?"

"He'll be along in a bit, hopefully," Avery said. She avoided Jiraiya's eyes for a moment but then met them and forced a smile. "Good to see you again, Master Jiraiya."

"Avery, you know it wasn't your fault right?"

Avery's eyes widened, "you knew I was there?"

"I remember seeing you just before I killed the one," Jiraiya said nodding. "I was glad you didn't get involved. We wouldn't have been able to take them down just the two of us. It was over by the time you got there. I was just trying to take as many down as I could."

Avery nodded a little, "You knew Lord Fukusaku would get any clues back to us." After he nodded at her, she just sighed and smiled a little less forced. "Alright, for now, I'd like to continue."

Tsunade nodded, "Yes, let's continue," she said. Tsunade figured she would skip to the last person she had planned, because the other two were for Naruto. She didn't think Avery would summon Jiraiya without Naruto but it made sense in some way.

"Alright. I just have to warn, the next person can't stay as long as everyone else can," Avery said. When everyone nodded in understanding, no one knowing who to expect the next person to be, she closed her eyes and called the next person.

A young boy appeared in the circle. He had bright eyes and blushing cheeks with light brown hair and what seemed like a permanent smile etched on his face. He blinked a few times as he cocked his head in confusion, but as soon as he heard the loud gasp from behind him, he turned around.

"Tunnie!" He shouted and ran at his sister. Tsunade immediately bent down and snatched the boy into a massive hug.

"Nawaki, Nawaki," Tsunade chanted as tears flowed freely down both cheeks and onto her brother's shoulder.

"Tunnie… I can't breathe," he choked as she hugged him. She released him immediately, but realizing he was dead she just cried harder and hugged him again.

"Tsunade don't crush the boy," another voice from Tsunade's past said. Her eyes lifted from Nawaki to the man that was now standing in the circle. He had long white hair and green eyes that were full of emotion as he gazed at the woman he loved. Tsunade stood slowly, staring at him as he walked closer.

"Shizune," he said to his niece, reaching out to her after he materialized passing the circle of candles.

"Uncle Dan," Shizune smiled with tears running down her cheeks as she rushed forward to hug him. He held her firmly for a few minutes before he released her and looked her up and down.

"You've grown up," he commented with a smile. "And you're just as beautiful as I always knew you would be."

"That tends to happen with time," Shizune said with a small laugh. "And thank you."

"I see you've been keeping a close eye on Tsunade for me," he said with a teasing lilt to his voice. But right as Tsunade was about to protest, he looked at her again and all the words died on her tongue.

"Nawaki, come here," Jiraiya called the young boy away so he wouldn't be between the long lost lovers. Nawaki ran to Jiraiya happily, jumping up into his arms and climbing until he reached his shoulders. Jiraiya chuckled under the weight of the boy that was really too old to be acting this way, but he knew he was excited.

Dan slowly walked closer to Tsunade, coming to a stop directly in front of her. He stared into her eyes, making her breath hitch. "You're just as beautiful as you've always been," he whispered.

"Oh, shut up liar," she whimpered.

"Come now Tsunade is that any way to take a heartfelt compliment?" Dan asked coyly before he leaned down and kissed her gently.

"Yuck," Nawaki teased from Jiraiya's shoulders. "Tunnie, you're kissing a dead guy."

"Nawaki, let her have this," Jiraiya laughed as he patted the boy on the leg.

Tsunade smiled fondly at her brother before looking back up into Dan's green eyes. "You have been watching of him right?" Tsunade asked.

"Of course," Dan smiled, holding Tsunade close to him.

Tsunade sighed happily and watched Nawaki launch himself off Jiraiya's shoulders into Shizune. Shizune laughed and hugged the boy tightly as they both giggled at the boy's frivolity. Watching the boy, all she could see was blonde hair and whiskered cheeks.

"It's so crazy… I used to see Nawaki all the time in Naruto…" Tsunade said.

"Now you're seeing Naruto in Nawaki," Shizune said. "I was just thinking the same thing.

"Who's Naruto?" Nawaki asked.

"He's the man that became the Fourth Hokage's son. He wants to become Hokage too," Tsunade said. "And he was a rambunctious rascal like you," she said tousling his hair lightly.

Nawaki swatted at his older sister's hands. "Well he sounds awesome then," Nawaki said. "I'll become Hokage through him!" he declared.

Dan smiled at the boy before he turned back to Tsunade. "We have to go," he said softly.

"You're going with him?"

"I can't stay without him. It wouldn't seem right," he said and reached out to stroke Shizune's cheek affectionately. "You really have grown," he commented.

"Of course," she said, but something was bothering her. "Why can't he stay?" Shizune asked.

"Something about the age he died," Avery said. "The elders I needed to meet with in order to get permission to do this said it is harder for children to stay and not get so attached they want to refuse to leave," she explained. "Refusal to leave can turn bad very quickly, so they said we had to keep visitation of anyone under eighteen to a minimum."

Shizune nodded in understanding and looked back at Tsunade with sadness in her eyes. She knew how much her mentor loved both Dan and her brother. This would be much harder for Tsunade than it was for herself.

"Keep watching over Tsunade for me, okay," he said with another coy smile and peeked at Tsunade.

"I am an adult," she said defensively. "I have been watching out for her, too!"

Dan laughed loudly, "I know you have. You would never let me down." He touched Tsunade's cheek gently and pressed a light kiss to her forehead before he turned back to Nawaki. "Come say goodbye to your sister."

Nawaki smiled and left Shizune's side to cling onto his sister's waist. "I love you, sister."

Tsunade smiled as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. "I love you too, Nawaki," she said and hugged him back.

"And I love you," Dan said lovingly.

"And I'll always love you, Dan."

Dan and Nawaki walked back to the circle of candles, phasing back to a transparent state as soon as they crossed into it. They both turned to face Tsunade and Shizune, who had gone to stand next to Tsunade and laid her head on the older woman's shoulder. The boys both waved, and Dan blew a kiss, before they vanished.

Shizune turned her face into Tsunade's shoulder and hugged her. Tsunade responded by wrapping her arm around Shizune and smiled at Avery. "Thank you."

Avery smiled at them and then felt someone approaching the office. "Naruto," she said and whirled around to crack the door open before he could get to it. "You can't come in until you close your eyes."

"What? Why?"

"Don't ask questions! Just do it!"

Naruto narrowed his eyes at her a moment before he did as he was told.

She smiled mischievously before she led him inside the room and placed him next to where she was standing. She closed her eyes a moment to summon the next set of people. A man and a woman appeared in the circle standing together just like Sasuke and Itachi's parents. The woman was about as tall as Avery with fair skin and long fiery red hair. She was wearing a white shirt under a green dress.

The man looked almost exactly like Naruto, or it would have been fairer to say Naruto looked like him. He had messy blonde hair and was wearing a Jounin uniform with a white coat with red patterns on it. His calves were bandaged above his ninja sandals. Avery remembered seeing Minato during the war, but the only reason she knew Naruto would know the woman is because he told her. She had come to him when he was fighting Kurama, before he came to help with the war.

Kushina got so excited as soon as she laid eyes on Naruto that she almost squealed. Avery motioned for her to stay quiet and beckoned her forward toward her son.

"Naruto, someone is here to see you," Avery sang as Kushina danced closer to him.

"Who is it?" he asked without opening his eyes.

"It's me, ya know!" Kushina squeaked excitedly. She purposefully repeated the same words she knew her son always said when he was excited.

"Mom!" Naruto's eyes flew open as he said the word and he beamed as soon as he saw her. Kushina threw her arms around her only son and she crushed him to her. Naruto hugged her back with happy tears running down his cheeks.

Minato walked toward his wife and son. "Do I get to say hello to him?" he asked.

"You just spent all that time with him when you were reanimated!" Kushina wailed. "I don't wanna hear it," she took one arm away from Naruto, waving him away quickly before replacing it around her child. Minato just sighed and backed away with a smile on his face.

"Wait, you have your memories from being reanimated?" Naruto asked.

Without listening to Minato's answer, Avery whirled to look at Itachi. They made a brief eye contact before he smirked and winked one eye, effectively making her heart skip a beat. _Yeah… he remembers._

After another few minutes of Kushina crushing Naruto to her and telling Minato to back off, Sasuke finally let his confusion get the better of him. "How did you know your mom?"

"Dad put her chakra in my seal so she could help me gain favor with Kurama," Naruto explained.

Kushina smiled as she petted Naruto's untidy blonde hair. "I was so happy to get the chance to meet him then. And now I'm getting to see him again. And you're all grown up!" she said with tears creating a glassy look to her eyes. "I never thought I would get the chance."

Naruto blushed and hugged his mother happily. He then realized there was someone else in the room he hadn't noticed. Someone he wasn't expecting. "Pervy sage!"

"What?" Kushina asked while Minato just laughed.

"That's what I call him," Naruto shrugged as Jiraiya started to laugh with Minato.

"You finally noticed!" he said in faux offense. "Some apprentice you are."

Naruto simply rolled his eyes before he walked over to hug his teacher.

"Wait hang on… you call him what now?" Kushina asked incredulously. She couldn't have possibly heard that correctly.

"Pervy Sage," Naruto repeated with a smile. "It's only too fitting for him."

"It really is though!" Minato gasped through fits of laughter.

"I change my mind, Tsunade. He's like his father… just _this_ side of him," Jiraiya was saying while giving Minato a playfully hurt look.

"You know you can't act offended and put upon when you know it's _totally_ true," Minato said.

"You really should show more respect to the man that practically named you, Naruto," Kushina reprimanded her son.

"Hey, I didn't give him the name, I just came up with it," Jiraiya said as he smiled at Naruto. "Got anything new to show me?"

"Oh yeah! A lot has happened since you died, old man," Naruto said with a huge grin.

"Well I can plainly see that in the room," Jiraiya said looking over at the Uchihas.

"Yeah," Naruto said following his eyes. "Sasuke is back," he commented. Naruto's eyes met Sasuke's and lingered for a moment. The amount of emotion he had started to feel for the raven in the last month scared him a little. He didn't know how anyone would take it, how they would react. Sakura and Avery were all for the relationship, but they had managed to keep it quiet enough that only the two girls knew.

Sasuke bowed his head slightly at the mention of his name. Jiraiya smiled warily at the boy, "as long as everything is good between you two, then it's all going to be okay."

"Yeah, we're good," Naruto said with a snort. Jiraiya didn't miss the wink Sasuke sent Naruto in that moment.

"Alright, I am fairly certain Avery has one more person to get through," Tsunade said.

Avery nodded once and Naruto walked back to stand with his parents. Avery smiled a little as she prepared for the empathy hit she knew she was going to get as soon as she summoned this last person.

"This person also can't stay, like Nawaki," Avery said. She waved off Naruto's confused expression and focused on the last summon. Inside the circle, appeared a girl that couldn't have been much older than twelve or thirteen. She had short brunette hair and purple markings on her cheeks.

Gasps were heard from both Obito and Kakashi as soon as the girl appeared. Their eyes grew wide and Kakashi immediately backed up to the wall, while Obito fell to his knees from the wave of painful emotion that raced through him. The girl turned around to see where the sound came from and she let out an excited gasp of her own.

"Obito! Kakashi!" she shouted and ran over to Obito. As soon as she was in reach she threw her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tightly. His arms went around her as soon as she was within reach and he held her with a look of shock pasted to his face. He couldn't believe it, even after he had watched all the others appear, that he was really holding Rin.

The embrace only lasted a few moments before Rin backed up and pouted at the Uchiha, "Obito… I looked for you…" she said. "Why didn't you tell us you were alive?"

"I'm so sorry, Rin," he said sadly. "I hadn't gotten the chance to tell you I was alive."

"Don't get me wrong, I'm so happy you're alive… I had just been so looking forward to finding you again."

"I'm sorry," Obito repeated.

The girl just smiled hugely at him before she threw her arms around his neck again. She couldn't help it; he was one of her boys. Her boys were both alive and they were together. That reminded her… she still hadn't said hello to Kakashi.

She stepped away from Obito then to turn toward Kakashi. He was standing back against the wall with his eyes closed and his eyebrows knitted together in obvious mental pain. Watching him this way made Rin ache to comfort him. Pain clouded her hazel eyes as she slowly approached him.

"Kakashi," she said softly. When he didn't respond at all she moved closer. "Kakashi," she said again in a sing-song tone. When he still didn't answer, she became impatient and stamped her foot as she shouted.

"Kakashi Hatake! You look at me right now!" she demanded.

It wasn't until his small, passive former teammate raised her voice at him that Kakashi finally allowed himself to look at her. Pain and grief shone brightly in his dark grey eyes as he looked at his long-lost friend.

"You listen to me Kakashi," she said as sternly as a thirteen year old could. "What happened to me was _not_ your fault."

"Rin," Kakashi breathed.

"Come here," she demanded, reaching for a hug. Kakashi was so much taller than her now; he had to bend to hug her and ended up kneeling as Obito had. She held him tightly and was running her fingers through his hair when she spoke again. "I don't want you feeling guilty anymore," she whispered as she clung to him.

"I couldn't protect you. I'll always feel-"

"I said no! You listen!" Rin insisted as she stepped back and stomped her foot again for good measure. It was the same move she used to make whenever Kakashi and Obito used to fight when they were younger. "You're not allowed to feel guilty about what happened to me."

Kakashi shook his head and gave up. He knew part of him would always feel guilty about her, but even just her demands and hearing that she didn't blame him; he could feel his heart was lighter in a way.

"Maybe a picture would be good?" Avery suggested.

"That's a great idea," Minato agreed as he stepped over toward his broken team. He motioned for the two men to stand and he thought about how would be the best way to get a picture of the three of them. Kakashi and Obito were so much taller than Rin now; he needed a way to bring her to their level.

"Kakashi, grip arms with Obito," he said. When Kakashi turned to Obito and they clasped hands, he shook his head. "No, grip each other's forearms," he said adjusting them. The position created a flat space between them where their arms were. "Rin, come here," Minato said and lifted her up and sat her on Kakashi and Obito's linked arms.

"Minato sensei, you need to be in the picture too," Rin said when the team's former sensei made to move back toward his family. He smiled and stepped behind her, he wasn't tall enough to see over her head so he peeked between Obito and Rin.

"Smile everyone," Avery said as she held the small camera Tsunade handed her in her hand. She was kicking herself for not thinking to take one of Tsunade and Nawaki, but Tsunade seemed not to mind. She snapped the picture of the former team in front of her; Rin smiling brightest of them all.

"I'm sorry Rin, but it's time to go," Avery said.

She nodded once and hopped down from her perch on Obito and Kakashi's arms. She turned back toward them and they both knelt down in front of her. None of them said anything for many moments, they just sat there; taking in the last few minutes they had together again.

"Be good to each other," Rin said finally breaking the silence.

"We'll try, but you know Kakashi," Obito teased.

"You also know Obito," Kakashi said dully.

"Ugh you two are hopeless," Rin said and shook her head. She gave each of them one more hug and watched as they stood up straight. "Be nice," she said.

"Not a chance," they said together and both chuckled.

Rin shook her head with a laugh and had been about to turn away when she remembered. She had been watching over them, she needed to meet the man Kakashi was with.

"Wait! Who is this Tenzou person you're seeing?" she demanded suddenly.

Kakashi was surprised she knew about that, but he gestured toward the man anyway. "He's right here," he said and Tenzou dipped his head slightly.

Rin lurched forward and gripped his hand and pulled him down so he was eye level with her. She searched his face and eyes, looking for any hint he might not be good enough for one of her boys. When she didn't see any obvious malice in the man, she put on her most stern expression she could. "You treat him well," she commanded. "Don't hurt him."

Tenzou had to hold back the laugh he could feel trying to come out as a smile itched at his lips. "I wouldn't dream of it," he said softly. He gave her a warm smile and squeezed her hand gently.

Rin tried to continue to look stern, but after a moment she ended up returning the warm smile. She looked back at Kakashi smiling, "he's alright. Take care of him too, okay?"

"Of course," he said placing a gentle hand on Tenzou's shoulder. The brunette stood up straight and leaned against Kakashi slightly.

They were happy together, Rin could see it, and she knew they would be good to each other. She turned away from them toward the circle and walked into it. She faded back into transparency as soon as she crossed the line of the candles. She turned to look at the boys again and waved before she blew them a kiss, then she disappeared.

"Thank you," Obito whispered.

Kakashi just nodded in agreement. He felt as though a wave of pain and numbness ran through him at the same time. He couldn't understand the emotions running through him. All he knew was seeing her again… it was exactly what he never knew he needed. A weight had been lifted from Kakashi's shoulders, and he reached for Tenzou's hand and gripped it firmly; rejoicing internally when Tenzou gave his hand a return squeeze.

Avery waited for her own heart to slow after watching Obito, Kakashi, and Rin. She saw everyone in the room watching her and she took a breath before she addressed them.

"Everyone else has twenty four hours before you have to return," she said. She barely suppressed a smile when she heard Kushina squeal as she clutched her son, and Mikoto and Karura both gasp as they held their children. She turned on her heel then and walked out of the room.

Once she walked out of the building, she paused. She didn't know what her next move was now, and in all honesty she had her own thoughts and emotions racing through her now that she was away from all the emotions in that room.

Itachi was alive again. He was really, truly alive. The very man Avery had dream, after dream, after dream about ever since she had met him. The man that was dead when she met him, but still managed to make her feel fire through her veins with his voice alone. She could swear she could still, even months later, feel the very spot on her head where his lips met her skin. And now he was back.

And she had no idea what to make of that.

A/N

Thanks for bearing with me everyone, I know this chapter was realy long and I'm sorry for it being so late. Because this chapter was so long though, it is going to be the post for last week and this week. I wanted to split it into two chapters initially, but I couldn't find a good place to do it. I will be back to posting Wednesdays as of October 3rd. The next few chapters will be shorter than normal as well. Thank you to everyone for the support and views. Please please pleaseeeeeeee leave me a review or two. Let me know what you guys think, where you guys are excited for it to go. what you're looking forward to. I would really love to hear from you all!


	11. Chapter 11

Author notes: This chapter is pretty short and just follows Avery from her leaving the group to when they group up again. The next three chapters after this one so four total will be this way. Then it will be a chaotic mess of characters, but a fun mess! :3

As always, please review and tell me what you think I know there were a lot of feels in the last chapter. I want to know what you guys think! Please please please!

Also please don't shoot me for being late!

 _Chapter Twenty-Five_

 _Avery_

After she left the reunion she built in Tsunade's office, Avery had made her way back to her apartment. Thoughts of the past months where her focus had been the images of Itachi running through her dreams were now colliding with thoughts that Itachi, the man who she had seen as no better than a walking corpse -though she had to admit that he pulled it off extremely well- in the middle of a war, was alive again. She felt as though at any moment she was going to go absolutely insane because of it.

She had been there for Itachi's death. Not physically to see it, but she had still been there. She had still seen every moment of it as though she had been there herself and witnessed every second. She had felt his emotional presence dissipate and finally cease to exist as he had taken his final breath. Seeing him in reanimation had been chaotic enough on her nerves and emotions. It had taken a toll on her mind as well and she had to admit to herself that there had been a great amount of time that she had wondered to herself if it was simply just a fevered nightmare from a mind that had, frankly, been touched by grief and loss in the midst of a brutal war zone.

Now he was alive.

Hell he was more than alive, he was here! Walking around the same village. Standing on the same streets. Looking at the same sights that she had become accustomed to looking at every single day, morning, and night, that she had been here. And, to add further sting to it, he was only mere miles away from her. Only streets away when before he had been lifetimes away from her. It was more than likely that she would run into him here. That thought alone made her somewhere between anxious and just a little bit nauseated.

As soon as she opened the door she tossed it shut behind her and flopped down on her bed. She laid there for only a few moments before she reached to grab her pillow and hold it over her face as she groaned loudly into it.

Her heart had been racing since the angel of destiny had arrived and offered him his life back. Even in her world the presence of one of the angels, in any type or capacity, showing themselves was rare. And usually they only appeared to witches, not regular people. Of course being honest with herself the people of this world weren't exactly normal either. The feeling that had shot through her and settled in her heart and her stomach had been enough to knock the wind out of her. She had felt her stomach clench, and her heart stop all at once in that moment. It was like everything had just stopped in that moment for her and she had been unable to breathe until it caught up with her. She was extremely glad no one else was able to read emotions like she could; otherwise everyone would know how she felt about the situation… about Itachi.

She began to imagine what life might be like now that the Uchiha was alive again. Would he move in with Sasuke or live on his own? Would Sasuke and Naruto be able to continue to hide the nature of their situation, or would they be somehow forced to reveal the nature of their budding relationship? She almost hoped for the latter to happen. The two of them deserved to have the happiness that they had been denied for so long, and now it was finally happening for them. Even though it was strained, they were taking the steps that they had been dancing around for so many years now…

She glanced over to her nightstand where a picture sat, and stared briefly at the faces of Sasuke and Naruto with a frustrated sigh; Avery and Sakura were getting increasingly frustrated about the whole situation, and most of the time they refused to actually talk about it because they were so annoyed that they weren't actually just dating now. Sure, she would admit that the relationship was set in motion, but they were still dancing around it like it was something taboo and something that might just blow up in their faces the moment that it was acknowledged. It was actually a little funny from an outsider perspective just how much they resembled their Sensei when it came to relationships. Kakashi and Tenzou had been much the same way when things were starting out, but once they had actually talked about things it was like they had just settled into it. Naruto and Sasuke seemed to be further from that than Avery liked them to be…

As she moved the pillow off her face completely, and hugged it to her chest, her mind wandered off of the frustrating pair and back to Itachi.

She could finally feel her heart slowing down now, but she found that it was hard to focus on much else than the possibilities of Itachi being alive and what that could mean for the village; as well as the people in it. She had been so attracted to him initially, and clearly still was since no matter what he said sounded like a steady flowing waterfall of pure, shimmering, gold lapping softly against her ears. The sound of his voice was steady. It was confident, and it was somehow seductive as well. There were so many different sides to his voice that it was almost impossible to describe it with words.

Sitting up, she decided she needed to do something to distract herself.

She thought about what the plan for the rest of the day was, and decided it was time to busy her mind with whatever that was as soon as possible so she could push Itachi away to remember it long enough to get things done. She had figured that summoning him would be a little distracting for her, but now he was actually alive and staying in the village; that thought alone was beyond distracting.

She knew that the plan was to have another big gathering over at Lee's dojo that night. It was a good opportunity for the parents to get to see their kids interacting with their friends and that they were happy so Avery thought it would be fun. Lee had offered to help her with set up though, so she decided she should go find him and get that going.

It didn't take her long to find the aspiring TaiJutsu master.

He was out training while Gai coached him from the wheelchair that he was now bound to for the rest of his life. It was a hard thing for everyone to see. And even harder to accept for some. He had always been such a force of energy and light that people had a hard time thinking of him as being trapped in a wheelchair and unable to run around the village anymore on his hands. No more races with Kakashi, no more bursting through with his "dynamic entrance" anymore… it was like someone different had been placed in front of them and their real Gai had been locked away somewhere in a little bottle and hidden in a box.

Avery had seen Gai a few times since he got out of the hospital, the first resulting in her beginning to cry all over him. Gai, being the overly positive man he always was, told her that youth would persevere and she should never feel remorse for him. It didn't stop her from feeling those feelings, but she had tried her best not to show them in front of him. It was getting easier to accept, but it was still hard to see him that way when in her mind he was still the overly energetic man standing with his hands on his hips and vowing that he would do three hundred laps around the village for whatever reason that he had managed to come up with that day. It had been that way for so long, and she wasn't about to change that image of him now. He was still Gai, even in a chair he would always be Gai.

As she approached the two, she noticed that Lee was sweating and breathing heavily, which meant they might almost be finished anyway. She walked up to them and plopped down on the ground next to where Gai's wheelchair was.

"Hello Avery," Gai greeted her as Lee finished his last set of the exercises he was doing.

"Hey Gai," She responded lazily. "I'm just here to collect Lee when you guys are finished."

"We are finished," Lee said through fatigue shortened breaths. He then picked up his water bottle from its place laying on the ground and took a long drink from it before he splashed some of it on his face to cool down a little.

"Just let me take a shower. I'll meet you at the dojo in twenty minutes?" He asked Avery.

"Sure," She said with a smile. She stood back up off the grass and smiled as he bowed a little to her and walked away.

"What do you two have planned at the dojo?" Gai asked nonchalantly.

"We have a party to set up for tonight," She replied with a mirrored casualness.

"Sounds like a youthful time," He said proudly.

Avery just chuckled as she rolled her eyes at his response.

"You're welcome to come by," She said with a wide, beaming, smile.

"Thank you. I might just take you up on that," he said with a slight nod. He then took his leave, rolling the wheels on his chair easily even through the uneven terrain of grass and dirt. That was one thing that had to be decent about how strong Gai was is that he wouldn't have to struggle to get used to the strength it took to maneuver a chair.

She beat Lee to the dojo, it was clearly because the black haired boy had to go home and shower but she had still gotten there first, so she was able to figure out where she wanted to begin. She looked around, smiled to herself, and began dusting off the place. They hadn't used it in the last month so it was in need of a little cleaning before they could set it up.

True to his word, Lee appeared only ten minutes after Avery had shown up herself. She looked up to see him walk in and almost dropped the box of cleaning supplies she had been holding as her jaw dropped.

"Lee…" She said in total shock.

Avery knew Lee had been considering trying out a different look. Tenten had been talking to her about it a couple weeks ago when the two went out for a girls day with Sakura and Ino, only leaving Hinata out because she was on a retreat with her family. She knew it was coming, and yet she had no idea what to say now that she was faced with it.

Lee had traded his usual green jumpsuit out for dark blue skinny jeans and a fitted green t-shirt that hugged his defined chest and muscular arms. He had on black sneakers and his headband was wrapped through the belt loops of his jeans. But the most shocking part of the whole scene was his hair. He had cut his hair very short on the right side, leaving the hair on top long and brushed to the left. She didn't understand how he had accomplished the haircut in such a short time, but she was too shocked to question it.

Lee blushed lightly as he scratched the back of his head, "Is it that bad?"

"Gods, no it isn't bad at all!" She said rushing toward him.

She reached out to comb her fingers through it and realized that it was only the same length it had been on the top, and both sides were cut shorter. He could comb it to either side and it would look good. The top had layers in it and he had put a light amount of gel in it to keep it all on the left side of his head. Despite the product use, his hair was still soft and looked like whoever had done it, had done very well.

"How did you manage to do this in just twenty minutes?" She asked as she walked around him to see the back. "Did you have an appointment or something?"

"I did it myself actually," He said proudly. "I took my shower, cut it, then I blow dried and styled it."

Avery turned him to face her as she gaped at him.

"You did it yourself?" She asked incredulously.

"Yes, that is why I asked if it looked bad," He said with a laugh.

"I'm so proud! It looks amazing!" She said and hugged him.

Lee returned the hug happily. When the blue haired witch finally released him, she eyed him suspiciously. He bit his lip a little under her scrutinizing gaze,

"What?" He asked a bit nervously.

"I knew that you were considering a new look," Avery said as she stepped away from him and folded her arms over her chest. "I'm just curious as to why and why now?" She asked.

Lee shuffled his feet nervously. He knew she would ask him, and he knew she could feel the nerves fluttering inside him. He knew she would guess or try to figure it out, so he decided he might as well tell her.

"I… uh… have feelings for someone…" He said slowly.

Avery's violet eyes lit up and practically sparkled in excitement.

"What? No way! Who is it?" she asked.

Lee blushed darker and turned away. He hadn't told anyone except Tenten about his crush. She had told Neji, and the two of them had been helping him, coaching him, through what to say and how to handle it when the time came to talk. He had not had the nerve to tell anyone else he was gay, or who his feelings were for. For whatever reason he had been sure Neji wouldn't understand, but when Kakashi and Tenzou had come out, he wasn't as sure.

Gai had been the only one to know most of his life about his sexual orientation. It was yet another thing the two of them had in common. The man had been so much like a father to him all those years that he had no problem opening up to him. He had always been grateful to his sensei and he would never really be able to express just how grateful he was to the man.

"You don't have to tell me. I understand if it's hard to talk about," Avery said backing off a little. She could feel the nerves and the uncertainty in him and it made her realize he might not be completely sure about this.

Lee just bit his lip a little.

Avery was always so helpful and amazing with everyone. Literally everyone in the village loved her and she was so compassionate about a person's feelings; probably because she could literally feel them herself. He knew she would be understanding about his being gay, she had been involved in pushing Kakashi and Tenzou together, so he cleared his throat and uncharacteristically quiet said:

"I'm gay."

Avery turned back toward her friend and smiled gently.

"So, it's a guy then…" She said as she started to think of who it could possibly be. A horrible thought crossed her mind and she sideways glanced at Lee.

"It's not Neji right?"

"No! No absolutely not," Lee exclaimed. "He and Tenten are so good together and I'm glad they are finally dating."

"Okay good," She said. "I'm all for happiness and crap, but that would be a huge bundle of uh-oh," Avery said with a short laugh. She thought a bit more, humming slightly as she thought about who her wonderfully awkward and cheerful friend could have a crush on.

"Do you know if he is also gay or not?" She asked curiously.

"No, I do not," Lee said as he took in her lack of surprise at his emergence from the closet. "You're not surprised that I'm gay?"

"No, I'm not," She said without looking at him.

"I thought that was going to be the hard part," Lee said frowning a little. "I don't really know why though I guess."

"I'm good at reading people," Avery said with a shrug. She stood with one arm across her chest while her other elbow rested on her hand and she tapped her cheek in thought. She was struggling to think of who it could be that Lee would have a crush on.

"What made you start to like him?" She asked a bit excitedly.

"If I told you, it would be obvious who it is," Lee said suggestively.

"Hmm," Avery said, and her blue brows furrowed slightly in concentration. It was while she was working on trying to figure out who in the village would be obvious that she realized who it could be. She recalled talking to the person it could be after the first day of her fighting to prove her skills.

Gaara… she remembered how fondly Gaara had spoken of Lee and how remorseful he had been about what had happened between them. He seemed to really respect Lee. It made her wonder, could Lee feel the same way toward him?

"Is it Gaara?" She asked with her head cocked to the side curiously.

Lee blushed a little and turned his face away. Before he even spoke there was a flush that crossed his face that told her she was right. There was even a kind of shock written there that clearly said that he was surprised that she had guessed it so quickly. On her first try she had pinpointed what he had tried to conceal so easily.

"Yes, it is."

Avery felt the smile cross her lips hearing him say yes. She was practically giddy now knowing who it was. She saw Lee turn back toward her with curiosity and wonder on his face at her expression. She simply turned away from him and continued with her task.

"What is that look for?"

"I don't know what you mean," Avery said simply.

"Avery!"

"Come on, Lee. We gotta get this place cleaned up before the party tonight," Avery said, completely avoiding his question. She quickly moved on to finish cleaning the dojo and smiled mischievously when Lee dropped the subject and began to help with a soft sigh.

The news that Lee had feelings for Gaara made Avery completely forget her nerves and frets about Itachi. She was too busy thinking about what might happen for her two dear friends. Lee was sweet, caring, and a little over the top at times; Avery had a definite soft spot for the strange TaiJutsu user. Then Gaara had been one of her very first friends when she had come to this place. She loved him like a brother and she wanted the best and greatest happiness for him.

Gaara was also quiet, sarcastic, and reserved. He and Lee were so different, but Avery was positive they would be great together. She had suspected Gaara was gay since she met him. She was sure he would figure it out, and she wondered if Lee would be the one to help him understand.

They spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning and setting up for their gathering. Avery had turned on music once they had finished cleaning and the two were dancing around and singing together the whole time they were preparing. Soon though, they came to the part of preparation where they needed to go get food and drinks, so they took off together to go and get that out of the way. It would be a little bit awkward if people started showing up before they even had anything set out for them.

By the time they got back, other people were starting to show up. Neji and Tenten had come first and had not been nearly as surprised by Lee's new look appearing that night as Avery had, though Tenten did take the time to tell him he did a great job.

Lee was also not the only one with a different look for the evening. Tenten had forgone her normal twin buns and left most of her hair down with one bun made from the top half of her hair. She was wearing a red and white, mid length dress that was similar in style to her usual shirt and a pair of knee high boots.

Neji had let his hair hang completely loose, a style Avery had heard Tenten say she liked multiple times, with his forehead bare. The mark he usually bore on his forehead was not showing however and at first Avery wondered what happened. She quickly realized Tenten must have covered it with a light makeup. It was a little confusing to her. She had been told many times about the Chuunin exam finals where he had taken off that head cover of his and shown the entire village the mark. It wasn't like anyone would say anything or mind it showing, but she figured that it was more from his dislike of it that it had been covered. It was for his comfort. He was wearing white pants with a dark blue, long sleeved shirt and his usual shoes.

They also weren't surprised that Avery now knew about Lee's feelings and hopes for the evening. Lee had told the three of them that he hoped he would be able to find a moment to pull Gaara to the side, even though he had his mother around tonight, to be able to talk.

"It's not a bad idea, doing it during a party when no one is going to be paying special attention to much of anything. I mean, karaoke of course, but otherwise, you're golden," Avery said. It wasn't like Gaara was going to be sucked into Karaoke unless Kankuro managed to get distracted from the presence of their mother, but with her here his playful side was less likely to stir. And Gaara wasn't much of a performer either. It was likely that he might observe, but he wouldn't just jump up to take part like his siblings would.

"But with his mom here? He might not want to make her think he doesn't want to be around her," Tenten said.

"He's been with her all day. And she has two other children to spend time with as well," Neji said in a very even and factual tone. His arms were folded over his chest and his eyes were closed as he spoke.

"That is true," Lee said as he thought. His normal bold tone was pulled way back with the uncertainty clouding his emotions. It was the most subdued Avery could remember ever seeing Lee be.

Avery shook her head a little as the two continued to discuss Lee's plan for the evening. As they began to walk toward their usual table, she glanced over toward the door and the first thing she saw was Itachi's deep eyes staring right back at her from his place in the doorway. For a brief moment everything seemed to stop and she was frozen with him. Everything that he did was in slow motion. Even when he blinked, all she could do was watch his thick lashes as they contacted one another. The sight seemed to be so intimate that she was almost jealous of those lashes. But it was hard to feel much of anything other than an ineffable, and overwhelming, sense that she was like a mouse in the gaze of a hungry and persistent raven. He was watching her as he stood there with his parents and Naruto's parents, but she didn't see Naruto or Sasuke anywhere. It was only then that she tore her eyes from his long enough to look around and try to see them. But the parting of their gazes didn't last very long. Violet eyes darted back to onyx and a shiver ran up her spine. She couldn't look away, her eyes were locked to his, and when his lips curved into a gentle smile, she finally tore her eyes away from his completely as heat flew through her entire body and colored her cheeks. She found herself very quickly cursing her pale complexion as she tried to suppress the hot flush from her skin.

It was another few minutes before Naruto and Sasuke walked in. Naruto looked a little frazzled, but unless you really knew him like Avery did, it wouldn't be obvious.

Sasuke on the other hand look completely defeated and more than just a little bit annoyed. He rejoined his parents, who had come in before him but wisely decided not to ask. Both families lingered by the door momentarily before they made their way over toward Avery.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: I do not own anything, sadly.

Warning: none really… just some slightly OOC Uchihas.

 _Chapter Twenty-Six_

After leaving Tsunade's office, the newly reunited Uchihas made their way through the village and back to Sasuke's house in the rebuilt compound. Sasuke was slightly nervous about having his parents in his house, it was as if he thought they would find something to disapprove of. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find they were positive about how neat and tidy Sasuke's house was. He had also gone into the family shrine and found some family heirlooms that had been stashed down there to display in the house, which his parents had been noticeably elated about. Not surprising since pride in the clan had always been a big part of their lives. The clan had always been extremely important to them and it made them happy their two remaining boys were so dedicated.

Sasuke made Itachi, as well as himself, breakfast because he hadn't eaten before going to the meeting. Itachi had been surprised to find himself hungry. He hadn't really eaten much before his death due to his illnesses. He hadn't really taken care of himself in any sense due to his illnesses, really. Why take care of himself if he was on his way out the door; so to speak? It had seemed so pointless at the time that he really hadn't given it so much as a thought when he had decided on that course of action. It had just seemed like a pointless pleasantry that he couldn't afford himself given the work that he was doing and the stress that he was already under. Towards the end he had simply given up on it and focused what remaining energy that he had, on the task that had been in front of him.

A mental shake cleared those thoughts from his mind. The last thing that he needed was to focus on _**that**_ right now. He had been given a brand new chance, and he wasn't about to take that to granted just because it was a little strange to think about. He figured _everything_ would be a little strange being alive and healthy again.

Once they settled in, the two younger Uchiha seemed to be in a mutual state of nervousness on what their parents would bombard them with. It wasn't at all unusual for their parents to subject them to some line of questioning or another. In fact Itachi recalled several nights with his father where that was all that had gone on for hours. Question after question until the bright afternoon had turned into a darkened night sky.

Sasuke had never been bothered with that as a child. Not for a long time. A kindness that he had subjected him to in a way. If his younger brother had been in their father's eye the same way he was sure that it would have driven him insane with the pressure alone.

Thankfully, their parents were just happy to sit and talk with them.

Sasuke found that his mother wanted to hear him talk about everything that he had learned in his life and how he was doing with being back in the village. Itachi and Fugaku sat quietly listening while Mikoto asked Sasuke a thousand questions about his life.

Sasuke allowed his mother to ask him all the questions she wanted, answering happily as he was just happy to be able to sit and talk with her as an adult. The feeling of having her just an arm reach away was amazing to him and he couldn't get over the fact that she was really there in front of him.

So, he told her everything. He told her about when he made Genin and the Chuunin exams. He told her about leaving the village, and the fight he had with Naruto. He told her about his time training with Orochimaru and how he overcame all the obstacles that came at him, even if it was a bit off the beaten path.

Itachi jumped in when he got to the point of their fight, and they sat and laughed about the life altering battle they had. Conversation was coming so easily to them now, like they had been this close all along. It made Sasuke wish they hadn't missed all the time they could have had, but it also meant they would be able to make up for that time immediately.

When Sasuke got to the part about deciding to help in the war, he paused as he wondered what he should tell them. He wanted to be able to tell at least someone the truth, that he came back to help in the war because he finally decided he couldn't kill Naruto. He couldn't have killed him; but had decided a long time ago that Naruto's death would be by his hand or by no ones, and since he couldn't do it, he had to go help him survive.

He decided against it though, deciding to tell them the same thing that he had told everyone else. The lie that his decision came from Itachi's will to protect the village. It wasn't entirely a lie, but it wasn't the foremost truthful reason, and he decided he may never actually tell anyone about the real reason he went to stand by Naruto's side.

After that, he told them about how being back in the village was. He had been put back in the mission rotation and had gone on a few, and he told them about his friendships with Sakura and Sai, because he and Sai had actually become fairly good friends from when he was "dating" Sakura. But he found himself talking a little too much about Naruto and when he realized it, he stopped abruptly and looked away.

Mikoto let the awkward silence after Sasuke stopped talking linger for a few minutes before she moved on to her next question. "So… is there anyone special in your life then?"

Sasuke raised one eyebrow at her, "Special?"

"You know, like a girlfriend? Maybe that blue haired girl, what was her name?"

"Avery? Not at all, she's a friend," Sasuke said, taking notice to the way Itachi had tensed when their mother had mentioned Avery.

It had been a subtle motion that his parents had seemed to miss. A movement that was such a fraction of itself that he could only see it because of the brutal years of training himself. He had been forced to be hyperaware of himself for so long that it was almost impossible for him to miss that kind of movement anymore, and in his brother sitting beside him… it had been all but obvious. And, frankly, it made Sasuke very… very… curious.

"She did seem fairly close with Naruto," Mikoto said wonderingly.

"Again, a friend. The best of friends really. Naruto and Avery are pretty inseparable in the way a brother and sister might be," he said.

"Oh, well maybe Sakura then? You said you were pretty close with her right?" she said.

"Mom, really?"

"Alright, alright," She said, relentingly. "I'm just curious really."

"I'm curious about Kakashi and Tenzou," Itachi cut in. "How long has that been going on?"

"A couple months," Sasuke replied. "I was there when they got together… or when Avery and Naruto made them talk about their problems." Sasuke watched as Itachi nodded slowly. He knew his brother knew Kakashi…

"Do you know Tenzou?"

"Yes. Kakashi was my ANBU captain, and Tenzou was on the team as well," He said.

"Did they give off couple vibes as strong back then?"

"When we weren't on duty, yes," Itachi said. "It doesn't surprise me that they are together at all." He paused between thoughts, but it was still bothering him. "Obito… he-?"

"Was the man in the mask, as I'm sure you knew. It wasn't really Madara, he was dead."

"Yes… and he's clearly been pardoned?"

"Yes."

Itachi nodded slowly. He wasn't sure how he felt about that, having worked with the man so closely. However, it had been months since the war, and he was a trusted member of the village now. He knew he should probably not worry so much about it, but Itachi had never trusted him.

"What made him change sides? Obito…" Itachi wondered aloud.

"Naruto," Sasuke said simply.

 _Of course, it was Naruto… He just has a way with people,_ Itachi thought idly.

"What is Naruto's role in the village?" Mikoto asked. "I remember what the village thought of him when he was young. It was always so sad."

Sasuke looked up at his mother. He hadn't realized before that she had been friends with Naruto's mother, and she probably hadn't been allowed to talk to Naruto about it when he was young due to no one knowing who his parents were, not even Naruto himself.

"He's a hero," Sasuke said. "He's proven himself quite a lot over the last year or so and everyone looks up to him now. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if he actually does become Hokage someday like he's been shouting about his whole life."

Mikoto nodded with a pleased smile on her face. "I'm glad. He seems to have grown up. Were you two close at the academy?"

"No. Though we did end up being on the same Genin team. We hated each other," Sasuke said. It was almost laughable how much they had both grown and how far each of them had come from those days as Genin. They were no longer shouting at each other every time the saw each other; no longer competing to be better than the other.

Now they were just naked every time they saw each other.

"You and Naruto's mother were friends?"

"Yes," Mikoto said. "I would have taken Naruto in back then, but Lord Third had other ideas for him."

"It also wasn't our place," Fugaku said.

"It wasn't but it could have been," Mikoto said with a sweet smile toward her husband.

Sasuke leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms. He pushed the thought of his mother offering to bring Naruto in and raising him away and decided to go back. The mention of Avery's name had made Itachi tense, and he was curious about it.

"Itachi…" He started, gaining his elder brother's attention easily. "Do… do you know Avery?"

Itachi looked away without answering after he heard the name. Sasuke was smart, of course he noticed any reactions or interest shown for the witch. Itachi had hoped Sasuke hadn't noticed how he tensed when she had been mentioned, or how he was watching her after he had been brought back. She was surely a point of interest for him; one he intended to explore thoroughly.

"Itachi?"

"Ah… I met her once yes," He said softly.

"When? How?"

"During the war. I helped her with one of the reanimations," He explained loosely.

That seemed to be enough for Sasuke since he dropped the subject. The reunited family only sat at the table talking for a little while longer before Sasuke got up and began cleaning the dishes from breakfast. Itachi looked around the room some more. Everything was impeccably clean, like he had always known his brother to be. From the look of the house, there seemed to be about three bedrooms in it.

"Do you live here alone?" Itachi asked.

"Yes," Sasuke said. He finished washing the dishes and dried his hands. He turned back to the table his family still sat at. "That's something I wanted to talk about, since you're alive now."

"Talk about what?" Itachi asked.

He didn't want to intrude on his brother's privacy. Yet, at the same time, he wanted to live here with him. Itachi wanted so badly to be close to Sasuke for once. He had never allowed himself to really be close to his younger brother. It had always been so heartbreaking for Itachi; and then having to be purposefully cruel to him after that night…

Itachi truly hated the way his life had turned out.

"I want you to move in here with me," Sasuke said.

Then again, if Sasuke offered then Itachi didn't have a whole lot of reason or room to say no. "Are you sure, Sasuke?"

"Yes, I am. We have never been able to be as close as I had wanted to be as a kid. I want to be able to have the chance to be close. To have the relationship brothers should have," Sasuke said.

"You've gone soft, Sasuke," Itachi joked.

"Hn," Sasuke huffed.

Itachi just continued to laugh as he reached over and flicked Sasuke's forehead lightly.

"Knock it off and answer the damn question," Sasuke said annoyedly.

"What question was that?"

"Do you want to live here?" Sasuke asked.

Itachi looked away and sighed a little as he considered the idea. He really did want to live here with Sasuke. It was a much more appealing idea than living alone in the village he didn't feel like he belonged to anymore; even with all the sacrifice and effort he put in to keeping it safe.

"Yes. Yes, I would love to live here with you, Sasuke," Itachi finally gave in.

The rest of the afternoon was spent in one of the two empty rooms in the Uchiha house and out shopping in the village. Mikoto had immediately jumped up and wanted to help Itachi set up his new room. It became apparent to the two boys they would need to go shopping for furniture and clothes for Itachi.

Sasuke found it extremely comfortable to be out with his family. It seemed Tsunade had let enough of the village know what was going on that no one really seemed terribly surprised to see four Uchihas walking around when there had only been two left before; and Sasuke and Obito were rarely ever seen together.

Itachi seemed to be comfortable too. He had always been close with their mother, and the fact that she wanted to help him pick stuff out made him happy. Sasuke and Fugaku ended up just tagging along while the other two shopped around for everything Sasuke and Itachi needed for Itachi to live in the house.

"Make sure you get some casual clothes," Sasuke said. "We have casual get togethers as friends every so often… we are supposed to have one tonight actually."

"Just like… hanging out?" Itachi asked. He had never experienced such lax behavior before. He had never been able to just simply hang out with his friends before.

"Yes," Sasuke said. "Things have been a lot calmer since the war. It has allowed us to have down time to just be able to be people, rather than constantly being alone."

Itachi smiled a little at that thought. If they were supposed to have a get together that night, that meant it was likely Avery would be there. He knew he wanted to see the blue haired beauty again.

By that evening when Sasuke said it was time to get going to the dojo, Itachi's new room was set up and the two boys were both dressed in casual clothing. Each of them were wearing black jeans and a t-shirt; Sasuke's was a deep purple while Itachi's was white. Their parents tagged along with them as soon as they were dressed and ready to go and Sasuke lead the way toward the dojo.

Along the way, Sasuke noticed Itachi was getting antsy. He was twitching a little and looked almost nervous. Sasuke remembered then that Itachi had reacted more to seeing Avery than he thought was possible, and then earlier when their mother insinuated that Sasuke could be dating her, Itachi had reacted to that as well.

"Itachi?" Sasuke asked as they walked at a comfortable pace.

"Hmm?" he asked.

"How well do you know Avery?"

"Not very well. Like I said before, I helped her with the reanimated during the war," He said casually. Or, at least he was trying to sound casual. What he really ended up sounding like was an almost possessive and eager child waiting to get to something he wanted.

"And you like her?"

"You're more perceptive than you used to be," Itachi commented icily.

"I'm not nearly as self-absorbed anymore," Sasuke replied casually.

They continued their walk in silence. As they approached the small building, Sasuke saw Naruto and his parents walking toward the building as well. His heart sped up a little seeing the blonde and without thinking he quickly jogged over to the Uzumaki family.

"Naruto, can I talk to you a minute?" Sasuke asked.

"Sasuke, sure," Naruto said and then excused himself and walked a few paces away with the raven. It had been a few days since they had had one of their sleep overs and Naruto found himself looking over Sasuke's body as they walked away from their families.

"What's on your mind?" Naruto asked casually once they were out of earshot.

Sasuke turned to face his blonde lover. He had been wondering over the last month or so that they had been doing their little dance about where it was going, and if Naruto had thought any more about how he felt about the situation. He wanted answers, and he wanted to call the blonde his and let everyone know it.

"I want to know what we are doing. Where are we going with this… situation we have going on?" Sasuke asked.

"What do you mean?"

"C'mon Naruto," Sasuke said exasperatedly, almost a whine. "I have been trying to be patient and give you the time you asked for to sort out how you feel about… this," he gestured between the two on the last word. "I need to know what we are, Naruto."

Naruto sighed and looked away and as soon as he did, Sasuke regretted confronting him. The last thing Sasuke wanted was to push Naruto away. He didn't want to scare the blonde away, but at the same time, he had never wanted something as badly as he wanted to be able to just be with Naruto.

"I just…" Naruto said. "I don't know."

"Naruto, I-"

"Just drop it Sasuke," Naruto snapped.

"Fine," Sasuke grumbled.

It wasn't at all what he was hoping for. The blonde was usually so decisive and confident with his answer… to see him like this where he couldn't so much as answer a simple question… it hurt. It was like he had just dangled a possibility of two different answers in front of him, then pulled them away at the last second with no hope of even grazing them with his fingertips.

It was frustrating, and exhausting, and somehow it hurt all at once.

And yet…

Sasuke was certain that if it had been him in the blonde's place he would have had the same reaction and the same answer. Perhaps he just needed time. Perhaps they both did. It was such a new position for both of them that he shouldn't have expected anything more just yet. After all, it wasn't as if they wouldn't see each other all the time living in the village… he couldn't force Naruto to decide anything just yet… if he pushed too hard then the blonde would avoid him and they would eventually be forced apart.

He couldn't do that.

He couldn't lose him after he had only just gotten him…

"Okay, Naruto… I'm sorry I asked…" He said with a slightly pulled back tone. It was almost reminiscent of the old tone he used when they were younger. When he was apologetic, but pulled away into himself and remained unwilling to come out. Unwilling to receive help for himself no matter how much he truly needed it.

He turned and began walking away, shifting his focus away from the blonde who, unbeknownst to him, was watching him as he walked away with a look somewhere between his own kind of hurt, and just a little bit of anger in his own face.

If he had seen it, Sasuke wouldn't have been able to blame him for it.

It was unfair of him to have demanded answers so soon, and then to pull away like he had a moment later… to say the least it was a mixed signal. But, as any _woman_ could attest to, it was what the Uchiha men did best. If they had one single gift it was sending mixed messages without so much as even trying.

They went to rejoin their families after that.

The two families had gone inside the dojo without them, so they ended up walking in together with Sasuke entering a few seconds before Naruto. Neither one of them acknowledged one another beyond a sort of sideways glance that they cast each other before parting ways in the doorway. They each joined their respective families, but the boys also knew they would end up sitting with Avery after a time so they collected their families and made their way over toward her.

Again, they didn't acknowledge each other. A fact that the youngest Uchiha was sure would end him up with a swift smack in the head by the end of the night by a certain, slightly annoyed, blue haired witch.


	13. Chapter 13

_Chapter Twenty-Seven_

 _Naruto_

After Jiraiya decided to stay behind to talk to Tsunade, Naruto left Tsunade's office with his parents and took them back to his apartment. He was happy he wouldn't have to ask them to wait outside while he straightened up though, because Naruto had been keeping his apartment clean for a few weeks. After Sasuke had surprised him once by coming over and Naruto had been so embarrassed about how dirty he knew his apartment was that he refused to let the raven come inside. He had since cleaned the apartment, in order to keep that situation from repeating itself.

"My apartment is really small, but please make yourselves at home," he said as they walked in the door. He shut the door behind them and walked over to put a pot of water on heat for tea.

"Sorry, but I was training this morning, so I would like to take a shower really quick if that's okay," he said once he turned back toward his parents.

"Of course," Kushina responded with a smile. "We'll be here, go ahead."

Naruto smiled back at her then turned and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He turned on the water before quickly shed his clothing and set them in the hamper in the bathroom to be washed. Once the water was hot, he stepped into the shower.

His thoughts were racing as he tried to hurry through washing his body. The two people in his living room were two people he never thought he would ever have sitting in his living room. He had his parents for an entire day. He had time to learn everything about them, and to tell them about himself and his life. He would have given anything before to have this, and now that he had it, he was almost nervous.

He finished his shower and wrapped the towel around his waist, so he could slip into his bedroom to get dressed. He dried off and slipped some clean clothes on before he emerged from his room, towel drying his hair. He popped back into the bathroom to put the towel in the hamper, then grabbed a comb and began combing out his messy blonde hair as he walked back out into the main room.

"Thanks," he said as he walked back out.

Both his parents were sitting at the dining room table with a cup of tea. Naruto walked to the stove to get himself one before he sat down between them.

"No problem, honey," Kushina said. She had the biggest smile on her face as she gazed at her son. She was just so happy and excited to see him.

"Did you know Avery was doing this beforehand?" Naruto asked. He didn't know how it worked, so he wasn't sure if Avery had been able to tell them or warn them as to what was happening before it happened.

"Yes and no," Minato said. "We got a warning that we would be called back to this plane, though we didn't know when it would be or by who."

Naruto nodded slowly.

"What is it like?" he whispered. He was almost afraid to know, afraid to ask. Like it would make it more real somehow, even though they had both been dead his entire life.

"Well," Kushina said as she scooted closer to him. She reached over and took his hand before she continued, "it's warm and bright. Minato and I can spend time together, and we have actually met other people. When Mikoto and Fugaku Uchiha got there, we were a little surprised, and sad to tell what happened with Itachi," she finished.

"Wow," Naruto said. "And pervy s…I mean Jiraiya?"

"We were sad to see him join us too," Minato said.

Naruto was quiet then.

He had been so distraught to lose Jiraiya, but it was a little comforting to know that his teacher and his parents had been able to be together all this time; that at least they had each other.

"Did you know when I had met your chakra? Like… did you feel it?" Naruto asked. He was so curious. Did they know him? Did they know how much he longed to know them, meet them, or spend time with them over the years?

"Kind of," Kushina said and looked to Minato for help explaining it.

"It was like when you call a clone back. We each felt it when it was over," Minato said. "But we also take opportunities to watch over you."

"You do?" Naruto asked.

"Of course, we do," Kushina said. "We love you."

Naruto felt tears sting his eyes when his mother said that.

He knew she had told him when he had met her before, and he knew that it was true, that they loved him… but it was amazing to hear. It was amazing to feel loved. He bit his cheek, trying to fight the tear, but ended up giving up and reaching out to hug his mother. She accepted the embrace easily, stroking his hair and humming softly to him.

Once he let go, he sat back in his chair and wiped the few tears that escaped away from his eyes. Naruto had never really been afraid to cry. He was not ashamed to show emotion, and he felt it made him a more empathetic and compassionate person.

The silence that hung in the air was warm and comfortable. The love flowing between the three was almost tangible. Minato had come closer to Kushina while she had been holding Naruto, and he was smiling softly. His thoughts were filled with how he couldn't believe he got to be here, spending time with his son.

"How long have you lived here?" Minato asked him as he looked around.

"Well, really only around six months or so. The entire village was destroyed when Pein attacked, and they had to rebuild the village. But it's almost exactly the same as the old building. So, if you include that, I've lived in this apartment for as long as I can remember."

"Alone? All that time?" Kushina asked sadly. She knew it was likely Naruto had spent much of his life alone. It wasn't surprising due to the nature of being a jinchuriki. She knew what that meant, having been one when she was alive.

"Well, yeah… but it's okay. I've made good friends now, so I don't have to always be alone. Avery lives in this building too," Naruto said cheerfully.

Kushina just smiled at her son. He seemed to find the good in every situation. It was like nothing would ever bring him down, and she was immediately glad that their deaths had not made a totally negative impact on his life.

Naruto eventually got up to make something to eat for lunch. He offered some to his parents, not knowing if they would be hungry or even be able to eat. They both declined though so Naruto decided he must have been right about not able to eat or wouldn't feel hungry. They weren't actually alive after all.

He settled on making himself a sandwich and some instant ramen. He went back to the table and sat down with a glass of water and his meal. He had something he wanted to ask his father that felt like it was burning a hole inside him the longer he didn't ask.

"Dad?"

"Yes Naruto?" Minato said with his full attention on his son.

"How did you become Hokage?" he asked.

Minato smiled softly at his son, not surprised at all by his question. He remembered hearing Naruto talk about becoming Hokage during the war and he was wondering how serious the boy was about it.

"I became Hokage shortly after the end of the third great ninja war. I had proved myself a lot during the war and the elders and Lord Third had decided that I would be the best choice for the next Hokage. Originally, Orochimaru had been in line to take it, and from what I understand from what we have seen watching over you, it was a good thing it was me."

"Yeah I can't imagine what would have happened if Orochimaru had taken over," Naruto said.

"Are you interested in the Hokage position?" Kushina asked.

"It's been my goal as long as I can remember," Naruto said. "I have always wanted to become Hokage someday. I was wondering if you had any tips for me. I know you weren't Hokage for very long, but maybe you can tell me something."

Minato thought for a long moment about the question. Naruto was right, he hadn't been Hokage long before Naruto's birth and their deaths. He had only had the full Hokage duties for about a year, but he did know a lot about it.

"There is a lot of paperwork. In fact, most of the time you'll feel like that's all you do is paperwork and meetings. You're in charge of the ANBU and assigning missions. Mission assignments are generally the Hokage's decision then the Jounin appointed to tasking that day will give out the missions as teams come in. The Hokage also has influential power in choosing Genin teams and Chunin exam results," Minato explained. "You'll have a lot of power in determination for the village and choices to be made. You work together with the village elders to maintain the village."

Naruto leaned in as his father explained the details of the job he had always dreamed he would have one day. Sitting this close to him, actually discussing it with someone who wouldn't tell him it was foolish or call him an idiot… it was like it could be real someday. He felt like he was getting real information and it made him feel as though he was being taken seriously for the first time in his life.

It made him feel like he was worth the happiness he had always longed for in his life.

After a while of talking about the prospects of becoming Hokage, Jiraiya showed up at Naruto's small apartment. The apartment being so small made Naruto decide they should go out to the training field; an idea Jiraiya was excited about because it meant Naruto could show off everything he had learned since he had been gone.

Once they got out into the training field, Naruto began to show off what he could now do. He knew his parents had technically both already seen his new nine tails cloak, or what Naruto now called the Kurama cloak, but Jiraiya hadn't. Naruto could see the look on his face when he erupted in the orange glow of the cloak so easily. He was definitely impressed by how far his student had come.

"This is what you can do now?"

"Now that Kurama and I are friends, yes," Naruto said.

"Who's Kurama?" Jiraiya asked.

"The nine tails," Minato answered. "He has a name, and Naruto uses it now." He was beaming at his son with pride. He had come farther than Minato could have ever truly imagined.

"All the tailed beasts have names," Naruto said, "and personalities. They don't want to be treated like monsters, just like I didn't want to be treated like a monster."

After that, Naruto showed off the improvements he made to his rasengan that resulted in his rasenshuriken. He was having a lot of fun showing off for them, especially when his dad began hopping in and giving him pointers to make making a rasengan or a rasenshuriken a little easier. Before they knew it, it had turned into a full on training session; one where Naruto was being coached by the three people he looked up to the most in his life.

He couldn't have been happier.

After they finished the training, Naruto needed to take another shower to wash off the sweat he had secreted in the intensity of the work out. The four all went back to Naruto's tiny apartment, and after he showered again, he dressed for the night at the dojo he knew was coming up that evening. He put on a pair of dark, tightly fit jeans with a hole in one knee and an orange t-shirt. He put a black, short sleeve, button down over shirt on and left it open before he put on a pair of socks and shoes.

"We have a party thing tonight," he said as he came out of his room.

"So, we get to meet all your friends?" Kushina asked excitedly.

"Yeah. I think that's probably the idea," Naruto said with a smile.

They walked over to the dojo together after Naruto told them about the party. Jiraiya stayed with them until he saw Kakashi and Tenzou and went to go talk to them. Naruto wasn't surprised he would want to talk to his captains. He would want to know from a perspective that wasn't Naruto's how things had been going.

By the time they reached the dojo, Naruto had been wrapped up enough in just getting there and his mother's excitement about a party and getting to see him with his friends that he didn't notice Sasuke approaching them. It wasn't until the raven asked Naruto if he could speak to him that Naruto noticed him.

"Sasuke, sure," he said. He was unsure of what could be going on in his head. When Sasuke turned to speak with him, Naruto couldn't decide what he thought of the look on Sasuke's face. His eyes were almost guarded as he thought about what to say. Naruto wasn't sure whatever he was about to say was something he wanted to talk about.

"Where are we going with this… situation we have going on?"

Yeah… no he didn't totally want to have that conversation. After deciding to try and play coy like he didn't know what Sasuke was talking about, and having Sasuke get irritated, Naruto realized he just needed to shut it down. He wasn't totally sure he was ready to have this talk.

The problem for Naruto was not being together, in fact, he absolutely wanted to be with Sasuke. He found it harder and harder over the last month to not just tell Sasuke yes; tell him that they could be officially dating and tell everyone in the world about it. Hell, Naruto wanted to broadcast it.

His problem stemmed from Sasuke himself.

He was worried about the commitment Sasuke had to a relationship. Sasuke had left the village completely. He left everything and everyone behind him and ran away. He had once turned completely against the village too. He was all over the place. Naruto just wanted to be sure before things got too serious that he could really trust in Sasuke's commitment to him.

The problem was, he didn't know what that would take. Sasuke was trying, and he could tell. But Naruto just couldn't get his mind passed what had happened in the past. He needed to, and he knew it. Especially when he saw the hurt look on Sasuke's face.

But then as soon as Sasuke spoke again…

"Okay Naruto…. I'm sorry I asked…"

Now that hurt.

He was doing it again; pulling away into himself where Naruto could never hope to reach. It was what he always had done, and Naruto found it infuriating.

He couldn't understand the raven's reasonings and it made him sad and angry all at the same time.

By the time the two of them had rejoined their families, Naruto was almost dreading the evening. He and Sasuke were friends, they would end up sitting together and Naruto was distracted now by everything going on between them.

He led his family inside after he got back to them. After only a few minutes of being inside, he led his family over to the table Avery was next to, knowing their friend group would most likely all be sitting there together. And now, Naruto was on edge about Sasuke.

This was going to be an interesting night.

A/N: thank you for bearing with me through these short chapters. I am experiencing some writers block. I am sorry if I miss a week in the future.


	14. Happy Thanksgiving

Hey everyone.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving today. I wanted to address the fact that I haven't posted in a while... I thi k it's been three weeks, and for that I am sincerely sorry.

I want you all to know I'm not through writing this story. I have a lot more rolling around in my head and I know I want to continue. I went on vacation and that was part of the reason I havent posted. On top of that, work has been overwhelming and slightly stressful which is not a great state to be in whilst writing.

Hopefully soon things will simmer down a bit and I'll get back into things. Thank you all for the continued support. I really appreciate it.

Riddledcloud


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